Take a Deeper Look
by Leap of Faith
Summary: It's amazing how a simple little thing can throw two people on a path they never knew they would take. She was on the path for her maturation long overdue he for the salvation she would bring to him. Post Hogwarts later.
1. Deeper

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to their respective owners unless you don't recognize it, then it's mine.

Disclaimer will be given only once, please get over it.

**Take A Deeper Look**

~~*~~

Chapter One: _Deeper_

~~*~~

Life never deals out what you expect it to. You can be anywhere when life decides to kick you in arse, telling you: "Here I am! About to have fun with your life now!" she knew this fact, as it had happened to her. Unfortunately or fortunately, she didn't know. All she knew was that she definitely was not ready for it.

Her name? Ginny Weasley is the correct answer. Though she did tend to give another name now that she was later in her life. Ginny is what they still call her though (they being the people she has enjoyed, and hated, being with, and around, for six years of her life). There are a select few, however, that actually call Ginny Virginia. Mostly because of the glare they received if they didn't. Her brother, Ronald, seemed immune to her glare.

He is one of the many that choose to think of her as the small, easily influenced first year. The first year that didn't know to get rid of a diary right away when it wrote back to her, when she knew something was up with it. The first year that he thinks still has a crush on Harry Potter.

Honestly, Ginny would think, the kid is like another brother to me. And she really didn't have a need for another one. She had enough of them already. She couldn't tell them that though. They would just laugh and pat her on the head, again saying "oh, Ginny. What are you going on about now?" as they usually did.

_Can't a girl get any respect? I am no longer a first year. In actuality I do believe myself to be a sixth year!_ Many others would also agree with her previous statement.

So, then why did she get the continued treatment of a first year? An ignorant first year for that matter! _Because I am who I am: Virginia Weasley. The youngest and supposedly fairest of all the Weasleys. Can't let anything happen to me. Nope. Not a thing!_

_People, please. I'm being sardonic._

_But the wonder of it all . . . is that I may be living just to fall._

_Don't get what I mean? Well, think about it. I am put on this earth, a beautiful one at that, but for what purpose? I hadn't found it yet, if I have one._ But she did know one thing – she had yet to find something that really makes her live life.

You know . . . That feeling where you are truly aware of your existence on the planet. Ginny believed this to be the reason she loved Hagrids' Care of Magical Creatures class so much. The first time she had set out helping him recapture animals he, for some unknown reason to this day, set free for them to catch, she recalled mentioning the feeling of being alive to the large man.

"That's 'ow ya know you're livin' – when 'ou do somethin' ya don' usually do," Hagrid told her with a smile.

It is a feeling that she had yet to replace, or wear out. Virginia doubted she would ever be able to replace it with anything; it's too dear to her heart now.

~~*~~

With a hidden sigh, she took up her camera, compliments of Colin from last Christmas. She believed he finally got so perturbed that she kept taking his, that he gave her one for the holiday. It _was_ a lovely camera, at that.

Ginny put on a cloak and clasped it with the bronze dragon clasp gotten from her best friend for her sixteenth birthday, and headed up to her perch. Otherwise known at the observation tower of the Astronomy classroom.

She found out that she was not to be alone as soon as she arrived there. Her perch was not her own that night. When she did see who it was, it made her wish she had never come up. Draco Malfoy, resident hellion for her family, and House, was standing over the bench, the only bench, atop the tower.

Whatever it was that made her stop and watch him for a moment, she silently cursed. It was amazing how light his hair really was, especially in the moons' glow. But his pale cheeks, though it was no surprise to her, were turning a hue of light pink; the night air was cold without a cloak. His face, normally cold and set in a scowl was unusually serene as he looked over the lake.

Ginny stared a moment longer before determining that she wanted what she came for: a perfect picture of the Astronomy towers view. She readied her camera in little time and held it up; backing up very quietly to get the whole picture she dubbed to be "perfect."

The flash of the camera was bright in comparison to the darkness the tower emitted; and instantly roused its patron from his thoughts. Ginny noted as she quickly put the camera behind her back, that Draco Malfoy no longer looked serene.

He looked downright livid.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" he asked her with an odd sound of control in his voice. That couldn't be a good thing.

Ginny backed away one more step. "I – uh – Well you see, I –"

"Invaded my privacy. Give me that camera." He put out a pale, toned hand. Probably from many hours of Quidditch, she deduced. "The camera, Weasley. Now!"

She dared to defy him. "No. I will do nothing of the sort."

"_Accio_ camera."

The camera stayed hidden behind her back in her small hands. "Anti-Spell. It's a wondrous little charm." The freckled face gave him a smug look.

Draco lunged for her, and her Anti-Spelled camera. A simple duck to the right left her to wince as he hit the stone floor.

"Malfoy, if you want something from me, you're going to have to try a lot harder. I _did_ grow up with six brothers, after all," she teased as he stood up again. He lunged once more, this time grasping her cloak.

She went down with him, but did not meet darkness as he did. "Malfoy?" she shook herself free of his hold. "Malfoy!" she tapped his ribs with the toe of her shoes. "Unconscious . . . Stupid prat." With a roll of her blue-green eyes, she stood and started towards the stairs.

One last look back changed her mind on letting him freeze to his death. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't such an idiot, Malfoy," she murmured to his unconscious form while placing her cloak over him.

~~*~~

Draco Malfoy. The name itself was enough to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who knew him, or his father.

But was that what he wanted? To have everyone he knew fear him?

Yes. Yes of course he did. That was how people saw your power – by seeing who feared you.

Yet the young Malfoy knew that what had started as mere grains on a beach were now seeds of doubt. Doubt that pertained to the ability of Lord Voldemort to succeed in his endeavors. Would the most feared wizard of his time be able to defeat Albus Dumbledore and the Boy-Who-Lived, again?

Christmas break. That was when Draco would leave school bare-armed, and come back Marked. Whether he wanted it or not.

He had to get out of his room. His prison for the moment. Cloakless, he made his way from level upon level of the school to the Astronomy tower. The tower that was vacated by couples for a warmer spot during the fall and winter months.

Draco leaned on the stone wall with his callused hands. Looking out over the expanse called Hogwarts Lake, the moon reflected and refracted back. Thoughts on how peaceful it was up top the tower; thoughts on how much he wished it was always like this, were interrupted by a bright flash cutting through the darkness. In slight blindness, he turned to see who had dared to bother him.

A Weasley. Ginny, he believed her name to be. She had been so bold as to disturb his with a petty picture?

"Just what do you think you are doing?" he demanded in a calm voice, taking some steps towards her. She backed away. Good. Though her stuttering was getting to his nerves. "Invaded my privacy," He cut into her stutters. "Give me the camera." His hand, outstretched and assessed by the Weasley, remained empty.

"No." She was refusing him?

"_Accio _camera."

She looked so smug. He wanted to curse that look off her face as she told him it was Anti-Spelled. He decided upon the next best thing. Draco lunged, only to kiss the stone. Damn Weasley had moved. Numbly, he listened to her banter about six brothers and having to try harder. Was she teasing him?

Finally a Weasley and he agreed on something. And try harder he did. He felt her go down with him, but met unconsciousness quickly thereafter.

Warmth he had not remembered possessing surrounded him when he came to the conscious world again. He grabbed that which kept him warm and stared at it in confusion. How could something so thin keep him so warm?

It was Weasleys' cloak. She had placed it on him? Why? If he were her, he would have just left himself to freeze.

But he wasn't her.

And now he would have to return the cloak.

~~*~~

Ginny groaned when she woke. Why did it have to be a school day? The weekends should be longer, she thought. Throwing the duvet away from her torso, cold air hit her quickly. With a small yelp, she picked up the discarded, thin night robe, a gift from her father, and threw it around her shoulders. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, she was first to get a shower that chilly Monday morning.

She gathered up her bag once she was dried and dressed, and walked down to the Great Hall alone. Her roommates were just waking up. Bobbing her head to a song only she could hear, she sat down and snatched up a peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bar.

"Mornin' Ginny," Hermione sat down next to the sixth year.

" 'Lo, Hermione," she swallowed the last bit of granola as she spoke. "Where are Ron and Harry?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I tried to get them up, but they wouldn't budge. They'll be down soon, I suppose."

The girls sat in silence as Ginny picked at a Poppyseed muffin. She never did eat much in the mornings, but knew she should for the sake of others.

And true to her word, Harry and Ron showed face just as Draco Malfoy did the same. The sight of him reminded Ginny of the pervious nights' events. And of the fact that she was now without her favorite cloak and clasp until he decided to return them to her. Her blue-greens locked onto his gray eyes for the moment that he remained in her view; his eyes were first to look away.

"Where you off to, Ginny?" Ron asked when he saw her stand up.

"I – uh – forgot my Potions book up in my room. I have to get it before I head to class." It wasn't a complete lie. She was going to head to class with the book at some point. With a sigh, she slumped against the wall near the stairs for the dungeons.

Why was this happening? The mere sight of the man-boy was getting to her. Annoyance soon flared up with the anger that she had left that particular cloak with Malfoy. How would she go about getting it back was the question.

"Miss Weasley! May I ask as to the reason behind your loitering?" Snapes voice cut through her thoughts sharply.

She stood straight. "Just waiting for classes to start, Sir." Ginny may not be in his favorite persons group, but she liked the Potions class.

"Well, then I suppose you should get on your way. The class bell should be ringing in mere seconds." He was halfway down the stairs when the bell rang.

"How does he do that?" Ginny whispered to herself as she followed him down the stairs. She sat down in her desk, second row from the front, and pulled out the book she said she had to get.

The slam of his office door received everyone's attention and quickly quieted the class. "Today I will have you brew up an advanced truth potion –" all eyes turned to the door. "Can I help you, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco stepped inside and placed a note in front of the Potions Master. Ginny quickly dropped her head down, not wanting to grasp the attention of the boy until she saw fit.

"I have no need for an aide, Mr. Malfoy," Snapes nicest dismissal that Ginny had been around for.

"I know that, Sir. But Professor Dumbledore asks that you allow me to aid. He says it will benefit the both of us."

Snape wasn't so daft as to miss an obvious hint like that. "Fine," he turned to address the class. "Everyone will partner up with whomever they are seated with." His back was turned as people protested. The note was balled up and tossed into a wastebasket.

Ginny watched as the professor overlooked her. What could benefit both Snape and Malfoy if the latter stayed? Her ears perked when she heard her name.

"Sir . . . the Weasley." What a handy little aide, sarcastically thought.

"Miss Weasley!" Snape turned to face her at Draco's comment. "Have you a partner?" she shook her head. Everyone had paired up already. "Well Mr. Malfoy. It seems like your first duty as my aide will be to partner with Miss Weasley."

She dropped her jaw. "But Sir, with all due respect –"

"You two shall work together, no questions asked. And since you have made this potion previously, Mr. Malfoy, I expect no mistakes." His voice held an air of no objections. "Now, if I might continue. Your advanced truth potions will allow for a longer truth-telling period, and voids the need to ask questions to get answers. Ingredients are on the board; directions are in your books."

"I'll get the ingredients," she told Draco quietly, leaving him to start the cauldron. Five minuets later, she still had yet to get the ingredients.

"Move, Weasley," he grabbed her shoulders and displaced her to the side. It took him seconds to get through the horde of students she, herself, could not break through. He came back with a scowl on his face and the necessary elements in his arms. "Let's get to work, shall we?"

He didn't leave the comment open to interpretation. Ginny sat down beside the cauldron and set out cutting the slugs heads off. "I hate slugs. Yes, I really do. I hate slugs. Wish I had some salt. To make them shrivel up. Wish I had some salt . . ." she muttered under her breath to the tune of a Muggle song she had heard once.

"Weasley. What _are_ you doing?" Draco did not seem to enjoy her song as much as she did.

She gave him a cheeky grin. "Singing as I decapitate these little buggers." Scooping the necessary parts into her hand, she dropped them into the cauldron with a _plop_. Skimming her book with her finger, she grabbed the untouched ingredients left behind by the seventh year and started on them.

"This has to sit for twenty minuets before it's working," he told her as he added his own diced elements.

"But the book says ten to fifteen . . ." she was never one to not tell people what she thought. Who says she had to start now, with a Malfoy?

"And yet I did this project _last_ year. I do believe I would know better than you would, Weasley."

Ginny rolled her eyes again. "Whatever you say." He was so annoyingly difficult sometimes. Like a small child he was! Why on earth did she have to be the one that Snape decided to stick Malfoy with? She could have done the potion all on her own, just as well as she was with a partner. Granted, she wouldn't have known about the twenty minuets of brew time, but that could go unnoted. The potions worked just the same with the books' time limit. As long as it was blue, that was what she thought. Yes, as long as it's blue, it's good. Who needs the extra five minuets? Bloody git.

She chanced a look at his head, wondering if he had a headache from his fall. No! She didn't care. Though she did leave him with her favorite cloak, she didn't care if he had a migraine right now. _Serves him right,_ she thought. If he hadn't tried attacking her, he would have never gotten the headache she sorely wished he had.

"Snape must like you," she heard from her right. Brows furrowed together, she turned to her unofficial partner.

"Pardon?" Why was he bothering her now?

She almost grinned when he sighed in exasperation. Seems he hates having to repeat himself. "I commented on how Snape must like you."

"And why is that, Malfoy? Because he thought me special enough to have you as my partner?" she asked sarcastically. "Somehow, I doubt that is the case as he knows how much you loathe my family. And –"

"Do you ever shut up, Weasley?"

She shrugged. "Not usually this talkative; no one to talk with. Anyway . . . Why would you think Snape likes me?"

"How does he usually address his students?" he acted as if he were talking to a child! She wanted to deck him right then.

"Last names," she chose to answer instead.

"And how does he address you?"

"Usually 'Miss Weasley.' What's your point, Malfoy?" she was starting to get annoyed now. First he takes her away from her thoughts, and now he was riddling with her?

"How many people does he use prefixes for?" Draco obviously wanted to ignore her comment.

"Not many people," she replied with a monotonous voice. Then it hit her. "Only with students he likes . . ." she was not answered, only smirked at. "You can't be sure, though," she said to herself.

~~*~~

"Mr. Malfoy, please come here," Dumbledore waved a withered hand in a 'come' gesture just before the bell rang.

Draco downed the last of his breakfast as he approached the head table. "Sir?"

"I have been informed that you have a study period first block, everyone other day. Is that correct?" The blonde nodded his head. What was the old man going to have him do? "I would most appreciate it if you would be an aide for Professor Snape on those days. It would benefit you both," he gave the boy a knowing smile and handed his a note.

"Er . . . Yes, Sir," Draco took the note and walked out of the almost empty Great Hall. He knew he would be interrupting a class, but what year was what he didn't know.

"Can I help you Mr. Malfoy?" Draco heard as he entered the class.

"He said it would benefit the both of us," Draco replied to what had to be the nicest dismissal Snape had ever given. And whatever it was that Dumbledore knew, Snape knew it was well, and agreed to the request.

Draco watched as table partners busily set out on retrieving their books. The red mass he had seen upon entering didn't move. "Sir," he caused the man to turn around. "The Weasley."

A few deliberations went on before it was settled that Draco would be her partner. To both of their chagrins.

"I'll get the ingredients," she spoke so quietly. And she had spoken first, a surprise to him. When he looked up, after lighting the cauldron, five minutes later, she had not made any progress.

"If you want something done right . . ." he muttered while walking towards her. "Move, Weasley." Placing her to his side, he went right through the crowd. When he sent a glare to all around, he was undisturbed to go about gathering the necessary items. "Let's get to work, shall we?" it wasn't a question she could inveigh upon. He ignored her as he set out dicing the alfalfa grass. At the sound of her voice, he turned her head; he presumed she was talking to him.

"I hate slugs. Yes, I really do. I hate slugs. Wish I had some salt. To make them shrivel up. Wish I had some salt . . ." what on earth was she singing? And why? Though . . . it was a rather strange tune.

He stared at her. What she all there in that small head of hers? "Weasley. What _are_ you doing?" it may be funny, but it was annoying.

"Singing as I decapitate these little buggers." Her innocent stare and cheeky grin slightly rattled the boy. How could she remain so innocent looking with all the chaos going on in the world? He knew she couldn't possibly be that naïve. She was one of the few students that received the Daily Prophet in the post.

Yet she remained innocent.

"This has to sit for twenty minuets before it's working," he told her as he added his own elements.

"But the book says ten to fifteen . . ." God. Did she ever just let what people say lie?

"And yet I did this project _last_ year. I do believe I would know better than you would, Weasley."

Ginny rolled her eyes again. What was with her and rolling her eyes? "Whatever you say."

As if he didn't have a bad enough headache already, she was making it worse. Annoying girl. He resisted the urge to rube his temples as silence reigned between them.

"Snape must like you," he said for lack of any better thing to say.

"Pardon?" she looked annoyed. He must have interrupted her thoughts. At least she knew what it was like now. Reiterating his pervious statement, he watched her stare up at him with her now confused eyes.

"And why is that, Malfoy? Because he thought me special enough to have you as my partner?" he hadn't expected such a sarcastic answer from her. "Somehow, I doubt that is the case as he knows how much you loathe my family. And –"

"Do you ever shut up, Weasley?" he finally cut in to her rambles.

She shrugged as eh. "Not usually this talkative; no one to talk with. Anyway . . . Why would you think Snape likes me?" Didn't she have friends to chat with? Surely the Wonder Trip could make time for her.

The look of realization that crossed her face, one she did understand his comment, made his almost smile. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with new knowledge. She seemed annoyed, at first, with the riddles, that he kept handing her.

"So that means he likes you?" she asked him quietly.

"Sometimes I wonder if he likes me because –" what was he saying?

"Because of your father?" she questioned, but they both knew that she knew the answer already. "Oh look. It's blue now . . . Sort of."

Her ability to change subjects smoothing did not go unnoticed by him. He glanced into the cauldron, stirring it a bit. "A few more minutes now."

~~*~~

Ginny looked at her fellow students, most of who had taken their potions by then. When her eyes landed on Colin and the girl she knew to be his secret crush sharing a kiss, she laughed aloud. "If I had just known . . ."

Draco turned his head towards her. The tone of her laugh sounded strange; though it was probably because the only laughs he had heard were high and false. Ginny's sounded different. It sounded carefree, melodic almost.

What was he thinking?

Ginny watched Colin a moment longer before turning the other direction. Her eyes went wide as she burst into a large bout of laughter. Almost falling from her seat, she tugged on Draco's sleeve and managed to get out a "Look!" before laughing again.

Caught off his guard, he glanced to where she pointed. It seemed as if the normally docile Hufflepuffs were bringing back the should-be-forgotten YMCA dance.

She couldn't breathe from her laughter, and a stitch was growing in her side. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and turned to Draco. Apparently, he was not following her calming example.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it. But she was seeing it with her own eyes . . . Draco Malfoy was laughing! Though it was at something a Gryffindor girl has done.

She had never seen him look as . . . lighthearted as he did. Ginny found herself liking that look on his face better than his normal sneer. The girl also found herself staring. But when he turned and caught her staring, all she could think of to say was: "I think out potion is ready." How brilliant of her.

He looked at the blue potion and nodded. With the ladle, he put the right amount of the potion into the goblets Ginny had placed on the desk.

"Bottoms up!" she said with a grin as they drank their potion.

After the tingling sensation that came with the potion was over, Draco decided to start with a simple question. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen at the moment," Ginny felt herself answer. "Why does your name mean dragon?"

"My mums favorite animal," Draco replied. He remembered now how much he hated truth potions. "Who –"

"Y'know, I don't get why I'm still called Ginny," she blurted out, yet turning red for doing so.

"It's your name."

"Nickname. My name is Virginia." Truth potions were annoying, Ginny figured out then. What did Malfoy care about her name?

"I like Virginia better." Ginnys' eyes went wide as he spoke. "It makes you seem your age. It's a beautiful name."

Ginny blinked a few times after stuttering an almost programmed thank you. "Well, your name definitely suits you, just so you know."

"How so?"

"Dragons are mean animals, obviously, but if you are nice to them, they become tamer. More kind to you, in a sense, though still dangerous animals. Charlie has to do that a lot with the dragons he handles. He has to get to know them, see how they act in their environments and with other around them before he can even think of approaching them," she explained to him with much gesturing with her hands.

"You're very pretty when you speak like that, Virginia."

"I – uh – you just told me –" Ginny stopped talking full stop. Did Draco Malfoy, the boy who hates her family with a passion, just tell her she was pretty? And use her first name? "I . . . How should I respond to that?" truth potions had just moved up a notch.

"As you usually do upon receiving a compliment on yourself." Damn potion! He felt like he was an automated person. An automated person who had not wanted to tell her that – yet because of the potion, had.

"I've never actually be complimented on anything but my school work . . ."

"Never?"

Ginny shrugged. "I'm not noticed a lot. Not unless Voldemort is brought up." Great. Just great. Now he had something to tease her about. Truth potions have just moved back down that notch.

"Sounds like my house," he covered his mouth as soon as he spoke.

"Draco . . ." Ginny knew she shouldn't be taking advantage of the truth potion as she was about to. "Do you really want to become a Death Eater?"

"I don't have a choice in the matter." Vague, but truthful. Damn Weasley!

Snape raised his head at the young girls' question and raised his eyebrows at Dracos' answer.

"If you had the choice?"

"I . . . Would become a spy against Voldemort."

"So that's a yes." Joy and laughter were replaced by the knowledge of reality. "To be a spy, you would have to get the Dark Mark. Much like –"

"All right class, you are dismissed," Snape cut her off before she could say anything else. Ginny Weasley, it seemed, was dangerous on truth potions. He knew she was a smart girl, but not that clever. Not to mention her almost slip up.

Ginny placed her book back where it belonged and tidied up the desk before leaving the class.

"Hey Ginny!" she turned to see Harry coming down the stairs once she was up a level from the Potions room. "Have you seen Ron or Hermione?"

"Off snogging, most likely." Ginny's eyes widened. "Sorry. Truth potion. Just say whatever comes out." 

~~*~~

Delirious - _Deeper_

~~*~~

So? How do you guys like the first chapter? Wee. Anywho, it was really cool writing this, I had fun (which I haven't had while writing in a while now. Poopy, eh?).

**PLEASE**** let me know if you think Draco and / or Ginny are far too out of character! **I want to make sure I don't mess with them a whole lot while still developing a friend and romance relationship. Y'know?

It was so strange. I don't even really know how I got the inspiration to write this story. Though part of it goes to the movie _Never Been Kissed_ and to the song _Deeper._ But mostly because I was trying to think of a good Virginia / Draco story. And this popped out!

I hope it's as good as I think it is. And sorry about the formatting, the documents aren't loading onto the web site like I want them to. Stupid asses.


	2. Don't Know Why

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Two: Don't Know Why

~~*~~

Much like whom?

The question was still drifting about his head when lunch came about. And today seemed to be the day that the youngest Weasley decided to skip the midday meal.

Who could she know that was a spy against Voldemort? He only knew of Snape as the schools resident Death Eater. Yet he was not a spy . . . Was he? No. Someone else on the staff, or even a student now that he thought about it, could be the spying Death Eater she knew about.

But who?

And why would a Gryffindor, a Weasley at that, know this person? His thoughts were pushed aside as he went on with his classes. Though they stayed with him, he could not address them until he went to his dorm at the school days end.

Where the sight of Virginias' cloak flooded his mind with memories. The thought of how to go about returning the strange item of clothing immediately went into him mind before it was again pushed aside by the question of _Much like whom?_

It couldn't be Snape. Could it? He couldn't be the spy that Virginia knew about. Would he even dare to spy against Voldemort?

The best way to find out, Draco figured as he lay down on his bed, was to ask the man himself. Or so he decided he should go about finding out the proper answer. Yet the boy succumbed to the night before he could go to question the professor.

~~*~~

Ginny skillfully avoided the seventh year the next day, knowing he could quite possibly be wondering about her comment of _"Much like . . ." _She knew she could not give that answer. She wasn't even supposed to know about it, yet she did.

Overheard from a conversation Harry, Hermione, and her brother had been having one night; when they thought everyone asleep. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, they would not have seen her.

What she did know, however, was that she had to take this secret to her grave. No matter when that grave came to be. It was her secret; her secret about a secret.

The fact alone, that she had almost slipped up, tortured her. What would have happened if Draco were to find out who she knew was spying? Would she be tortured, so to speak, by the seventh year? Or would she escape his wrath unscathed; merely because of the shock she had bestowed upon him with her answer?

She ate her meals alone and in thought that day. She found herself going to the library after her classes were done; dinner could wait until she went to the kitchens.

~~*~~

"Draco!"

He knew that voice anywhere. "Pansy, I'm busy."

"Where are you going, Draco?" Pansy hooked her arm through his as she caught up to him.

Draco couldn't say he was going to talk to Snape, to question the man about his loyalty to Lord Voldemort, she would join him. Where could he go that she probably wouldn't? 

"Library," he detached himself from her and quickly bounded up the steps to the second quietest part of the castle.

He quickly went to the back, taking many twists and turns in hopes she wouldn't find him if she did come looking. "Completely mental, that one . . ." he hadn't the slightest clue as to where she had gotten the idea that he fancied her in the least. Maybe it was just a thought she held to herself.

"As are you, if you are talking to yourself," a voice spoke from behind him.

He turned quickly, startled, but not showing it. "You."

"Me," she half-smiled as she pushed past him to grab the book she had come for. "And through I don't know who you are talking about, they can't be _that_ mental."

"Pansy." Why did he always answer her? It should be easier to just ignore her.

"Oh," she sat herself down on a plush chair in the corner. "I retract my previous statement. She seems a bit questionable, if you ask me."

"Well I wasn't," Draco snapped.

Ginny scowled before opening her book to where she had left off last Tuesday and turned her attention to it. A ways into it, she had to stop. "Malfoy, would stop pacing . . . Or at least go elsewhere to do it."

Draco turned to her and sneered. "Be quiet, Weasley. I'm allowing your presence out of the kindness of my heart."

She snapped the book closed at his statement. "Out of the kindness of your heart?" Ginny stood with a glare. "What heart is there in you to have kindness in?"

He shoved her from his pacing path. Draco was rarely at a loss from his words, but he now found himself in that exact situation.

"Draco!" _how_ had she found him? "How boring could this get? You're just pacing about." Pansy had a knack from appearing out of nowhere; it was starting to make him wonder. "Let's so somewhere more . . . private."

Ginny almost gagged at the implication Pansy was making. "If you would excuse me, I believe I have a date with the toilet."

Though Pansy did not seem to understand her jest, it was quiet clear to the red head that Draco did.

"Pansy, will you please leave me alone? There is nothing that has ever been between us, besides the mutual dislike we hold for our fathers."

"But –"

"No, Pansy," Draco said, finalizing his words with a slicing hand gesture. "Just go."

That had to be the first time Ginny had ever heard his voice sound like that. It sounded so final and yet so dispirited. She watched as Pansy nodded and gave the boy a slight smile before leaving the library. When Draco turned around to face her, she found herself jumping back. "I'll just leave you be . . ." she placed the book back on the shelf and picked up her dropped robe.

"Why aren't you taking the book?"

Ginny turned around with a smile. "It wouldn't matter if I did; the print will be gone by nine."

"Pardon?" how could the print just disappear from the book? Wait, what was he thinking? This was Hogwarts, anything could happen.

"This book only shows its script every Tuesday from three to nine," Ginny replied as she swung her robe around her shoulders and shoved her arms in the sleeves.

"Why don't you borrow it?" Why was he still talking to her?

Ginny walked towards him, stopping inches from his body. Keeping her blue-greens on his grays, she reached past his perfectly neat hair to retrieve the book.

Draco's mind was running rampant as she stood so close to him. He could feel the heat coming off her small frame. Though used to having people, mainly Pansy, stand that close to him, he had never been that wary before.

"Sit down. I'll show you why I don't borrow it." The girl did not know if he would follow her order as she sat down on the carpeted floor. She could only hope that he would.

He, however, was toying with the idea of just leaving, but when he looked down at her, he knew he would sit. She looked as if she were a child, eager to read her first book to her parents. Draco sat down in front of her, and waited for her to speak.

Ginny, with a mysterious smile, opened the age old book. "_Life is a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up._"

He cocked an eyebrow. "That's all it says? No wonder no one che-"

"_You can find out what your enemy fears most by observing the means in which he used to frighten you._" Ginny stared him in the eye as she spoke. For a moment, she was silent, then she adverted her eyes back to the page. "_With many people, what they fear (i.e., abuse, hatred, bigotry, sexual preferences) can lead you to the knowledge of what they fear. In the case of the most famous dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, it seems to be the general dislike of those who could quite possibly be better than him in magic. Though it is not always the case, as we see many times over with his many Muggle killings._

"_Voldemort has long been in hiding, from his first defeat by a mere baby boy, yet one wonders what he has been doing all that time. Surely his haunting of the body of one Professor Quirrel Harry Potters' first year was a sign of his coming back to power, one cannot be sure. What was –_"

"Stop."

Ginny raised her eyes to the boy. He met her gaze, and in a whisper she asked one simple thing: "Why?"

~~*~~

"_You can find out what your enemy fears most by observing the means in which he uses to frighten you._" Draco found himself unable to think for a moment as he processed the statement. How could such a little sentence hold so much truth to it? He listened numbly as she read further into the passage before he finally had enough.

"Stop."

And when she looked up to him, he once again saw that innocence that she possessed. She asked him a simple, whispered question. "Why?"

_Yes, Draco, why indeed? _he asked himself. Why did he need her to stop her reading? Was it because he knew that passage was one that should not be read in within the prying walls of Hogwarts?

No.

Was it because he knew the truth behind the words on that page?

Yes. And it scared him.

~~*~~

Ginny closed the book slowly and quietly. "Draco," it was the first time she had ever said his name. It sounded almost foreign in her mouth. "What I read on the page . . . it scares you, doesn't it?"

How did she know . . ?

"It is the truth, Draco, whether you want to believe it or not." Ginny told him, looking him in the eyes. What she saw shocked her to silence. She had never seen someone's eyes hold that look of complete and utter confusion. How was he confused?

Ginny placed a hand on his cheek, much like a mother would with a child; and felt him flight before moving away. She stood and replaced the book to its proper place. "I know it's strange to hear, but Voldemort will not last. He had made far too many mistakes already."

Far too many mistakes already? What mistakes was she alluding to?

Ginny, right as she was about to turn the bookshelf corner, turned back to him. "Draco?" his stiff movements made him face her after a moment. "You don't have to go through with getting the Dark Mark just because your Father wants you to. It's your choice, and no one else can make it for you." She smiled at him before turning the corner. "I'm here to talk to if you need it."

~~*~~

Virginia had no idea how hard the choice to refuse the Dark Mark – thereby refusing his heritage – was. Draco wondered about her comment though. How had Voldemort make fatal mistakes?

"Severus would know . . ." he stood quickly, and was gone from the library as fast as he had arrived. His shoes clicked as he went down the many flights to the Potions room, and Severus' office.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are most certainly moving quickly."

Draco stopped and turned towards the voice. "Professor. Might we talk in private?"

Confusion flittered in and out of Severus Snapes' black eyes before he led the way to his office. "What can I do for you, Draco?"

"I was having a conversation with . . . an acquaintance about certain things. They mentioned how Voldemort would not win, because he has made too many mistakes already . . . Is that true?"

The Potions Master noticed the gender cover up. "Take a seat, Draco. Now, I don't know who told you that, but there _is_ some truth to it."

"What?" disbelief flowed with the word.

"Yes. Though downfall may not happen, Voldemort had made mistakes that can provide to it. Strange to hear, I know that much from when Albus told me."

"Isn't he coming back to power?" Draco could not believe it. How had Virginia known? "Did she read between the invisible lines?

Snape nodded. "Slowly, yes. But from the near defeat by Mr. Potter three years ago, he has had to start almost all over again."

The blonde boy sat still in thought. "Professor . . ." he met Snapes eyes determinedly. "Are you a spy against Voldemort?"

"What do you think, Draco?"

"I want to think that you aren't, but I rarely get what I want." He lowered his eyes to the nameplate on the desk. "You're the spy she knows about . . ."

She . . . It seemed Draco did not want to speak her name to others. "Yes. She approached Albus with the question after overhearing her brother, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger talking. She was so sure in her convictions that she would not take our answer of no as an answer. She demanded the truth.

"I –" could he say it aloud, without help form a truth potion? "Severus, I am not sure if I want to join Voldemort."

"I gathered as much," Snape replied, sighing in thought. "What _do_ you want to do, Draco?"

What did he want to do? He hadn't thought hard on that. He just knew that he could no longer see himself helping Voldemort. Following a man who would, as it seemed, inevitably fall and put him, along with many other Death Eaters, in Azkaban. "Work against him, I suppose. Yet how would I escape the Marking?"

Severus shook his head. "It is doubtful you will. You were born to have it; with your families blood in you."

"Then I'll be a spy, like you," Draco stated matter-of-factly.

"Draco, think about what you're saying. Think of the consequences. Think of how people will treat you if the fall of Voldemort comes. People will most likely not care that you were aiding _us, _if you're killing for _them._"

Us and them. The eternal sides of every battle. Picking a side was easier for some, like Virginia; it was hard for him.

"Think it over for a few days. Albus and I will talk with you on Thursday."

A polite dismissal, Draco knew, and it was time for him to go. Nodding farewell, he left the office silently, thinking of all Severus asked of him.

Sighing upon entering his room and seeing Virginias' cloak, he sat down and scribbled a note for himself to return it before break. And then proceeded to scribe his thoughts.

It had been so long since he last wrote down what he was thinking that he did not know where to start. His fear had always been that someone would find what he wrote and use it against him. Which led to his reason of not writing for the long period.

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

~~*~~

I mention Ginny's cloak a lot, I've noticed. Probably because it plays an odd part to the entire story. I still have a few surprises up my sleeve for that old cloak.

The quotes are from Quoteland.com, very cool site. The interpretation of the second one, however, was entirely my own. My thoughts on what Voldemort might be up to and such.

Voldemorts' mistakes? You want to know what they are, don't you? Well, only I will know until such time that I find a prefect place to insert them. Be patient, you'll learn in all due time.

I also decided to make Pansy a bit nicer, more human. I don't know why, though. I hold no liking for the girl, but I decided to change the perspective of her. She isn't too far from normal girls that have a serious crush on a boy. I gave her the traits of a girl platonically, almost hopelessly, in love with a boy she knows deep down she'll never have.


	3. Anything But Ordinary

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Three: _Anything But Ordinary_

~~*~~

Ginny sighed as she pulled her knees to he chin so she could rest it upon them. The owls hooted around her, flying in and out as they pleased. Her own letter rested beside her; she was debating on sending it now that she was here.

Plus, she didn't know how Draco would react to her demanding the immediate return of her prized cloak. 

She closed her eyes. Somehow demanding just didn't seem like it would work. It would probably make him keep it longer, or just throw it away.

Ginny's eyes flew open when she heard a subtle thump-thump of footsteps on the owlery stairs. Not knowing whom it was, yet knowing she did not want to be seen, Ginny blew out the candle illuminating her.

Draco Malfoy entered the bird boarding house. He had almost been positive that there was a candle flickering in the depths of the room. He shifted the package about before stopping. He felt eyes upon him while he pretended to look for his owl. Now he was positive that a candle had been flickering in the room.

Ginny jumped a bit as an owl above her hooted loudly and took flight. Dust showered down from its roost; she fought hard not to sneeze. An almost loosing battle before she managed to contain it enough for it to make a small, low noise. The letter for Draco made more noise as it was slightly squished by her hand.

A sneeze. He had heard the very muffled noise from his immediate left. Who was there, watching him?

In three quick steps he was towering over the small ball of what he assumed to be a person. He grabbed her arm and lifted her from the boards.

~~*~~

Ginny ducked her head when Draco's harsh eyes looked in her direction. Mind racing, she tried to think of how she would escape from this predicament. She knew it was over when she was towered over. _He takes big steps . . ._ was all her mind registered as she was hoisted from the owlery floor.

"You –"

"Have said that one before," Ginny muttered. _Why_ did everyone always say "you" when she surprised or shocked them?

His eyes narrowed and grip tightened around her arm. "What are you doing here?"

"Debating upon sending a letter to you or not." All hail the Queen of Subtlety! She held the slightly crumpled letter out, getting only to her waist because of the iron grip he had on her upper arm.

Draco released her arm and took the letter. Unrolling the parchment, he leaned it towards the light to read its writing.

_Malfoy _scratched out, then rewritten.

_Draco,_

_Please return my cloak, clasp included, back to me now. It has been three days since it went into your possession. I want it back; it's very important to me._

- _Virginia Weasley_

"Eloquent," Draco mocked.

Ginny smacked his arm playfully without thinking. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had done. "I . . . I want my cloak back."

He stared at her curiously. It was almost as if she had forgotten they weren't supposed to get along. Or be talking, not that he thought about it.

His eyes went back to the letter. "You signed it with Virginia."

"I know that," Ginny sighed. "I thought that if I was demanding for my cloak, I might as well sound adult."

Draco nodded before tossing the package at her. "I came –" he stopped his explanation. He didn't need to explain anything to her!

When she untied the string, the paper opened to reveal her cloak, neatly folded and clasp intact. "Thank you," her smile was huge.

"Why is it so import –" once again he cut himself off, this time because he heard voices.

Ginny listened as well, placing the voices to be familiar: Harry and Rons'. She snatched Draco's wand, visible because it was sticking out of his pocket, and whispered "_enlargio" while pointed to the cloak._

She stood in front of Draco as she threw the cloak around him, "Thinks about not wanting to be seen!" and she pressed the clasp just in time for Harry and Ron to come through the entrance.

"D'you think Si –" Ron stopped as Harry elbowed his ribs.

"Hey Ginny," Harry said, ignoring Ron's glare. "What are you doing up here?"

Ginny looked at her hands, before she quickly placed them behind her; she still held Draco's wand. "Sending a letter to Charlie."

"Why didn't you tell me he wrote?" Ron demanded, though slightly whiney.

" 'Cause the letter was for me only," Ginny replied. "Well, I'm off." She could only hope Draco followed her like she had motioned with her hands to do. Without speaking a work to him, she walked through the corridors until she reached the grounds outside.

Draco took off the cloak and inspected it. "What _is _this?"

"Pardon?" Ginny pretended not to know what he meant.

"This cloak . . . It kept me warm, yet it's thin. And it his me, yet it's not an Invisibility cloak."

"Excellent deduction," she smirked.

He looked at her as he handed it back to her. "What is it, then?"

"A gift," she said simply before saying _finite incantium_ and putting it around her shoulders. "A sixteenth birthday gift, from some very special peop – friends."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "These friends aren't people?" he paused slightly. "I knew the Wonder Trio were strange, but I at least thought they were people."

Ginny scowled for his jest on her friends. "I didn't get it from them. Or anyone in my family for that matter."

"Who'd you get it – Whatever it is! – from, then?" Draco was tiring of her riddles.

"Awthawae," she said with the proper enunciations.

That sounded almost . . . No. "It _sounds Elfish, but you couldn't afford an Elfish cloak. _I_ can't even afford one!"_

"I didn't buy it, Draco," Ginny watched the question rise up in his eyes. "I was walking in the woods, not too far from our house, and came upon her.  Awthawae somehow had gotten a broken ankle, and so I said I would help her."

"Elves don't trust humans. They never have," Draco stated firmly.

"Awthawae had no choice. Her clan didn't know she had left, and wouldn't know where to find her. I helped her back to her home; she explained what had happened when their guards took me to see Lohelm, their king, and Awthawae's father.

"As a gift for helping her, without thinking of my own personal gain, they gave me three things: the cloak, the clasp, and permission to visit whenever I wanted."

Draco found himself staring in shock at the girl in front of him. Anyone else he knew would have either left he elf to die, or used her for their own good.

Yet she hadn't . . .

She waited expectantly. Well? Was he just going to stand there?" C'mon, old man! Move a little faster."

Thoughts interrupted again, he glared some. "I'll move in my own time, _child._"

Ginny walked away a bit before turning to face him. "By the time you get moving, I shan't be a child anymore. I'd be an old bird!" her face was cut from her large grin.

"Child, child, child. That is what you shall always be, for I am no old man," Draco retorted. Was he joking with her?

Ginny laughed as she pulled out Draco's wand; his eyes widened to find it missing as he searched his pockets. When she aimed it as him, he froze with his hand in his pocket. "Now I think a nice, long, gray beard is in order! And we mustn't forget the cane . . ."

Draco stood, his arms crossed and face scowling, two meters from her. Somehow, he knew, the beard was not his look; the cane rested on his right leg.

She could hardly contain her laughed, not that she tried. The beard and scowl made him look like Dumbledore did when he disapproved of something a student had done. "Ready yet, _old man?  Or am I walked too fast?"_

"I'm gonna –"

"Gonna what, old man?" she interrupted. She enjoyed this little game.

Draco grabbed the cane and flipped his beard over his shoulder (he never thought he'd have to do that . . . ).

Ginny's eyebrows lowered in her confusion. What was he doing?

She soon got her answer when he ran at her. Shrieking in surprise, she turned and ran away before he caught her. 

_Damn!_ he hadn't expected her to be that fast. It seemed she had more than one hidden secret. _Will she show me the rest of them?_ he didn't even realize what he had thought as he chased the red head, waving the cane about in the air.

She found her sides starting to stitch from the sprinting that couple with laughter from Draco's appearance.

"Come now, _child. You can't be tired already!" he called when she seemed to be slowing down._

"Never, old man!" Ginny replied before ducking into the brush. She flipped up her hood, closed the cloak, and pressed her clasp.

He entered the brush where she had, but she was nowhere to be found. How had she - ? The cloak.

"_Finite incantium," Ginny said form her spot._

Draco felt the weight of the beard disappear as well as the cane he was using as a makeshift charging device. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" it was so strange to talk to someone you couldn't see.

She laughed aloud, knowing he could not hear her unless she unclasped the Elfish dragon clasp. Never had she laughed this much, unless she was a Weasley Family reunion.

"Where are you?"

He was getting frustrated, that much Ginny could tell from his voice.

"Over here, old man," she said form in front of him. Draco walked with one arm outstretched, but Ginny had already moved.

He searched for something, anything, that didn't quite fit, but knew he wouldn't find it. Elfish cloaks were carefully crafted; he wouldn't find her until she wanted to be found.

Ginny sat down on a large rock and waited. He was still searching for her, but seemed to have slowed said search. "Hard to see, what is not there," she began just to catch his attention. "But harder still, to see what has been there all along."

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" he asked while searching for her again.

She stood behind him, shed of her guise. "From random moments of sanity."

Draco spun around. "Few and far between, aren't they?"

"Quite frequent, but ignored because of better things to be done," she grinned.

It was interesting, being with the youngest Weasley. She kept him on his toes with her sharp tongue, and even sharper mind. "I want to show you something."

Ginny looked up at him. What could he possible want to show her?

"But first . . ." he snatched his wan back. "My wand."

She laughed. "You sound like a child."

"Better than an old man," Draco retorted. "C'mon," he lead her slightly deeper into the underbrush, until they came upon a knotted old tree.

"It looks kind of like a face," Ginny tilted her head to the side a bit. Had he wanted to shower her an old, knotty tree?

"There's a legend, that goes with this tree. People say that when you insert your hand in the mouth, and are not of pure mind, it will snatch your hand right off."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "bullocks. That's just a load of rubbish made up to scare people."

"Then stick your hand in its mouth, if it's _just a load of rubbish._"

She bit her lip as she raised her arm, stepping closer to the tree. Her slightly scared grin crossed her face as she looked at him while sticking her fingertips into the mouth. Pulling them out quickly, she laughed. "Your turn."

Draco's face turned to one of apprehension; he knew there was no way he could be pure of heart, coming from the family he did, yet he never backed own from a challenge. He slowly put his fingertips in just as she had, then his hand and part of his wrist. Jolting his body, he started to scream.

Ginny screamed when he seemed to be caught in the trees jaws. Leaping to his arm, she tried to pull it out. It wasn't coming!

Draco pulled his arm out with a mighty tug and Ginny's help. He gasped with wide eyes as he showed her that he was now lacking a hand. She covered her mouth in shock, eyes watering from fear. Would he be angry with her for challenging him?

He cracked a smile and pushed his hand out of the sleeve. Ginny stared for a second before fury went into her eyes.

"You bloody git!" Ginny yelled, though relief was in her voice. She smacked him hard in the middle of his torso.

Draco's air supply whooshed out of him at that, and he gasped for air. He stared at her in confusion as he tried to breathe. How had she done that?

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. She hadn't meant to hit him that hard, and now that she had, it was amusing.

"How . . . How'd you do that?" he seemed to have gotten air back.

"Mum taught me . . ." Ginny replied with an innocent look. Then she smacked his arm. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Draco Malfoy! You scared the wits out of me! What if you had really lost your hand? You just about gave me a heart –" she stopped mid-word when his laughing reached her ears.

"Calm down, Virginia. You're going to give yourself a coronary," Draco said with a grin.

"Calm down? _Calm down? How do you expect me to be __calm when you play a trick like that? That was a horrid trick and you know it!"_

Draco looked down at her. She really was concerned for him. Why? Still going on in her tirade, he felt himself pulling her into a hug.

Ginny stopped and went stiff. Was he . . . hugging her? She relaxed after a moment and returned the gesture.

"You prat . . . you scare me to near death," she mumbled into his chest.

"I'm . . ." he had never said he was sorry for anything, and actually meant it. "I'm . . . sorry I scared you, Virginia.

She lifted her head, he sounded so sincere; he looked sincere as well. "As well you should be."

Draco laughed at her scowl, or what she was trying to make a scowl from a smile. She was so forgiving . . . Why? Why was she able to get past all the nasty comments he had made about her, her family, her friends?

"We better get back to the castle. It's almost time for supper." Her voice sounded quiet and dejected even to her own ears.

"Alright," Draco let go of the girl and turned. He waited for her to get beside him before proceeding to walk.

She thought about saying something, but knew small talk would only ruin a perfectly good time. _Never thought I could have a good time with a Malfoy . . ._

Ginny looked up to his face before dropping her gaze to the doors. She stopped at the great oaken doors. "You go on in. I'll come in a few. Probably best if no one sees us walking together.

Draco opened the door, and pushed the girl inside. "If anyone sees us, we are merely discussing our potions lab."

She giggled, that was no what she had expected him to say. "Thank you," manners finally remembered (he had opened the door for them, after all).

Though Draco didn't know why she said thank you, he nodded as if he did. When they approached the Great Hall, the voices of the school drifted outwards.

"Shocking how every care is forgotten when you're in that room," Ginny said as she stood next to him. "See you in Potions tomorrow?"

He looked at her hopeful eyes, and with a small smile, he nodded. "I'll save a seat."

"Bye," Ginny opened the doors and walked to her table. It seemed supper had just begun.

"Hey Gin, where've you been? You look flushed," Hermione asked once she had downed her juice.

Ginny smiled mysteriously, "I was around. Exploring and such. You know."

Ron, best at making assumptions, nearly exploded. "You weren't off snogging some boy, were you?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Ginny took a small bite of her roll and counted in her head.

"Virginia Weasley!"

_Perfect,_ Ginny thought. She looked innocently at her protective older sibling. "Yes?"

"Don't you look at me like that!" Ron pointed a finger in her face.

Ginny rolled her eyes before truing back to her dinner.

"I demand to know who you were with; I'll tell Mum!"

Ginny glared. "One: it's 'whom' not 'who;' if I was snogging with someone, it would be just _one person. And two: tell Mum, and I'll tell her who broke Grams' ashes urn because they were playing Quiddich in the house!"_

Ron scowled, he hated it when she out-witted him.

Ginny straightened quickly; she felt eyes on her back. Curiousness on her face, she turned around to inspect the table from whence the stare felt like it was coming from.

Draco Malfoy stared her straight in the eyes, with a smirk on his face.

~~*~~

He was going to save a seat for her? Why was he going to do that? He saved seats for no one.

Damn girl. She was making him do and say things he didn't normally do or say.

It caught his attention when he heard a faint shout of "Virginia Weasley!" and he looked up from his food and watched the display of sibling fighting.

He saw Virginia glared at her brother; what had he said to piss her off? She seemed to be successful in her retort, because the Weasley turned red and shut up.

When she turned around, he felt like going up to her and saying that curiosity killed the cat. He smirked in thought of what she would answer him with.

He met her eyes when she passed over him, his smirk still on his face. Her curious look change to one of slight confusion a she mouthed, "What?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, he lifted his arm as if he was going to scratch his head, but had no hand. Virginia's eyes went into a mock glare before he pretended to be frustrated with his lack of hand.

He watched as Virginia let out a loud laugh, before ducking her head in quieter laughter.

"What is she laughing at? Completely mental, that one," Pansy muttered from beside him.

"As are you, if you're talking to yourself," Draco replied as Virginia had to him. Pansy looked like she was offended when Draco shifted his eyes just enough to see her from the corner of his right eye.

~~*~~

"Ginny, what on earth is so funny about Dumbledore probably retiring soon?" Harry stared at her like she had gone mad.

The young red head shook her head and waved her hand about. She was laughing too hard to talk. In addition to that, she was trying to figure out why Draco's joke was so amusing.

~~*~~

Dumbledore, however, found himself chuckling with the all-familiar twinkle in his eyes at the two students antics.

In his thoughts, he knew that nothing could ever happen with the two. Draco would endanger anyone he got too close to, because of his almost certain decision to become a spy.

Albus glanced at Severus, and knew that the students' antics were making him reminisce and realize what could never happen.

History always repeats itself; this Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape knew all too well.

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

~~*~~

Wee. Yeah, so the tree part came from the movie _Roman Holiday_ with Audrey Hepburn, one of my favorite actresses and movies. You should watch it. Anyway, I hope I left you all wondering about what Albus and Severus know that the rest of you don't. Go on and guess, but I doubt you'll figure out my twist.

See you next chapter, more exciting moments to come!


	4. Sweetness

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Four: _Sweetness_

~~*~~

The alarm sounded once before a pale hand slapped down upon it. She rolled over and groaned. It was too early! And she had double Potions first thing. Ginny sat up quickly. Double Potions meant two hours paired with . . . "Draco. Bugger!"

Out of bed in a flash, she hopped into her shower stall and quickly woke herself up. Mid-scrub on her arm, she stopped. Why was she rushing? _Virginia Weasley, no! You hear me? N-O, no! _She took her time after her mental berating. So much so that she found herself running from the Gryffindor Tower to the dungeon Potions room.

"Glad to see you want to join us, Miss Weasley," Snape drawled as she ran into the room and sat in the first open spot she came across.

Ginny waited for him to continue, and give her detention, but he just turned away. "Odd . . ."

"Indeed. I was sure you were going to lose points and receive a horrendous detention," her table partner replied. Draco looked at her quickly. "In fact, you should have."

"I – uh – I," Ginny sighed. "I function well without breakfast." She turned towards the front and listened as Snape went over their potion.

"It will need to brew for thirty minutes, so I expect you all to have it ready to brew in thirty. The rest of the time will be used to test you potions." Ginny wanted to raise her hand, to ask what potion they were doing, but he hadn't finished talking. "Pair up with your table partners," Snapes' black eyes focused on her, and she suddenly felt like she was being measured. "Miss Weasley, I suppose you shall have to work with Mr. Malfoy . . . again."

"He sounds so happy for us!" she said sarcastically. _Something's up with Snape – what? Why is he still watching me?_

"Start the cauldron, I'll get ingredients."

"Sir, yes, sir!" she muttered loudly. "I _really need to eat breakfast, I'm too sarcastic in the mornings . . ."_

Draco sat down at the table again, arms laden with ingredients. "What are you muttering?"

"A spell to make Snapes' eyes star permanently crossed." Oh the sarcasm.

He looked at her strangely. "You're very odd when you've missed breakfast."

"Thanks," she grinned at him before starting on the roots of asphodel.

"You – Never mind. Pass the chameleons tail," Draco stuttered out. She shrugged to herself as she tossed them over to him. What was he about to say?

One the cauldron was set to brew; Ginny leaned back in her chair. She was really hungry.

"Can't you, I dunno, shut your stomach up?" Draco asked her with annoyance. Her stomach had been growling for the past ten minutes.

"I could if I had food. But I don't, so I can't," she replied bitterly, immediately guilty for her tone. "Sorry. I'm cranky and sarcastic when I've missed breakfast."

Draco nodded before standing up.

Where was he going? Ginny watched as he approached Professor Snape. _He's so weird!_

~~*~~

"Sir?" Snape lifted his head. "Would it be possible to take the Weasley to the kitchens? Her stomachs' incessant noise is aggravating."

Snape pursed his lips. "No, Mr. Malfoy. Take your seat."

_Well, I tried,_ he thought as he sat back down. Her stomach greeted her, causing him to scowl.

"I'm going to talk to Colin; you're only getting more pissy," Ginny said as she sat up. "I'll be back in ten."

Draco folded his arms across his chest as she left. He was not getting _pissy._ He didn't get pissy. "Pissy" was for females; Draco got annoyed.

"Attention!" Snape barely raised his voice to quiet the class. "If you kept within my time limit, your potion should be ready."

He watched as Ginny approached their table and took her seat next to him. She was certianly a weird one.

"Fill your goblets three-quarters of the way, and drink in one gulp or it won't work," Snape instructed.

"Do you have any clue as to what potion we just brewed?" he heard her whisper from his side.

"No. It's different from the mystery potions we had to make last year," he gave her a goblet of the pinkish liquid.

"Oh joy," she tipped the drink into her mouth and swallowed. Letting out a small, but high, scream of pain, she clenched her teeth.

Draco put his goblet down upon seeing her reaction. She was holding her throat and looked like she was trying to say something. "Professor!"

"What is going on here?" Snape looked at the red head that seemed to still be in pain. "What happen, Mr. Malfoy?" he grabbed his wand from an inside pocket, ready to cast the cure for their mystery potion.

"I don't know. She just drank the potion." Draco stared at Ginny for a moment before he saw her eyes roll back into her head and her body fall backwards. The shocked Potions Master caught her clumsily, sending the entire class into a flurry of whispers.

"Get her to Madam Pomfrey as quick as you can, Mr. Malfoy," Snape handed the unconscious girl off to him, after checking on her breathing. He turned back to the class with a glare. "Silence!"

Draco shifted the small girl in his arms so that one arm was under her knees and the other just below her shoulder blades. His audience watched as he quickly made his way out the door.

His legs burned as he went as fast as he thought safe up three flights of stairs and through the corridors to the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey?" where was that woman? He put Ginny's still form onto a bed. "Madam Pom –"

"Mr. Malfoy! Quiet your voice. Now, what is the dilemma?" as Draco moved aside, she let out a gasp. "What happened?"

"She had some sort of a reaction to the potion we were making. Started gasping, like she had no air, and then passed out."

Tutting about, Pomfrey looked at the boy. "Was root of asphodel an ingredient? Did she have anything at breakfast?"

What was this – an interrogation? "Root of asphodel, yes. Food, no."

Nodding, the old nurse went into her storage room and came out with a phial of something purple and gaseous. "Well? Help me, boy! Sit her up, so I can give her this."

Draco blinked before doing as she had told him to do. Madam Pomfrey opened Ginny's mouth and let the gas flow in.

"Lay her down. She should wake in a few minutes." The phial was replaced just as an irate Potions Master and slightly amused Headmaster came in.

"Severus Snape!" the nurse didn't seem at all happy. "Did you know the girl had not eaten?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy informed me of it."

"And you still let her drink a potion with root of asphodel in it?" Draco had never heard the woman scold a professor before; it was amusing.

"I saw no reason not to," Snape scowled, not at all liking the woman yelling at him.

Dumbledore interrupted the two before Pomfrey could say anything else. "I believe what our dear Poppy is saying, is that taking a potion with that certain ingredient, on an empty stomach, has the repercussions we see before us now."

~~*~~

Ginny heard voices before she saw people. Where was she? Why did she feel so empty?

" . . . has the repercussions we see before us now."

That sounded like Dumbledore . . . She opened her eyes, willing herself not to make too much noise, and looked up to who was standing closest.

"Draco?" she tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down. "Draco, where am I?"

"The infirmary, Virginia. Now lay down," he turned his back on her as she scowled. "Madam, she's awake."

"Oh, smashing! How do you feel, dear?"

"Hungry," Ginny replied bluntly. "What happened?"

The nurse left, leaving Dumbledore to answer. "You felt the aftereffects of not eating before taking a potion with asphodel in it."

"Is that all?" Draco smirked. She was still as sarcastic as earlier.

"I see you have your spunk back," the Headmaster answered with a grin; Ginny couldn't reply for the chocolate brought back by the nurse was stuffed into her mouth and a brief "you might feel sick for the rest of the day."

"A report will have to be sent to the Governors, seeing as Professor Snape knew that you had not had breakfast," the old man said gravely as Ginny finished her chocolate.

Wide eyes darting from the Headmaster to her Professor, she shook her head. "Is that really necessary? I mean, there really was no harm done. Please, Professor?"

"Well, seeing as how the report would have to be filed by you, and you don't want to file it, I see no need," the man smiled. "Off to class now."

"Thank you, Professor!" Ginny snatched another piece of chocolate as she jumped off the bed. "Still in potions, then?" Draco nodded as he followed her from the room.

~~*~~

"We really should keep them apart. It can only bring about trouble, Albus," Snape said as he watched them leave.

"Yes, you're quite right, Severus. However, I doubt anything we did to keep them apart would do just that. They're both very bright students, they would figure it out eventually."

Snape nodded as they walked down the halls. "He has spoken of becoming a spy, Albus. And I think he just might do it, because she asked him to."

"Did she really?" he acted as if he hadn't known this knowledge.

"Not directly. But they have talked, and I think she has convinced him to stay for the good."

Dumbledore clasped his hands behind his back, nodding. "So it seems. Then there is nothing we can do about it, now. He has made up that firm mind of his, we both know there is no changing it."

"Yet we both wish we could?"

"Yes, yes, we do. He is in for some of the hardest times he shall ever face." They caught sight of the pair, Ginny laughing as she threw a pieces of chocolate at the man-boy. "But I do believe she is just what he will need to get through them. Don't you agree?"

"Albus . . . History repeats itself. I do not want him to suffer as I did. He is too much like a son to me."

Before turning his corner, Dumbledore smiled. "Then he will prevail just as you have, Severus. And possibly find what he once lost."

~~*~~

Laughing, Ginny threw yet another piece of chocolate at the blonde to her side. He was deflecting them as best he could, but she nailed him with that piece.

"Hey! What'd I ever do to you?" he pulled the piece out of his hair.

"Well, let's see. You insult my family constantly. You insult me constantly. You tease Hermione for being Muggle-borne. You call my brother "the weasel." You generally hate everything about my life," she ticked the things off with her fingers, looking thoughtful.

"Okay, I get the point." Draco scowled at the redheaded girl. They both knew she had known it was a rhetorical question.

Ginny smiled. "You asked, I told!" eating the rest of the chocolate, they entered the classroom only to have her bombarded by questions. She had just enough time to gather her things and explain what had happened to her peers before the bell rang.

And just enough time for Ron to hear what had happened and for him to immediately turn it on Draco by lunchtime.

"I wouldn't down that he did it on purpose! You know him; he's always out to get people he doesn't like. He probably knew –"

"Shut up, Ron!" Ginny turned a slight shade of red as her voice echoed throughout the room. She lowered her voice immediately. "He didn't do a damn thing! _I _put the root of asphodel in. I watched everything he did, so he had no chance to do anything to the potion. It wasn't his fault that I ended up in the infirmary – it was mine! Got it? It was my fault, so _stop_ making me make you look like an arse!"

Ron sat there, fish mouthed, as his fiery little sister left the table in anger; Harry was laughing at his side.

"You know you deserved that, Ron," Hermione said, trying to hide her smile. Harry, however, didn't mind showing that he found it highly amusing.

"Oh, shut up, Harry!" Ron said once he had recovered.

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

~~*~~

Yeah, so this was a filler-like chapter!

I just didn't want to split up the _really important part of the story that is coming up next chapter. Trust me, you _will _enjoy the next chapter. I even promise that you will! (I don't usually promise things about my stories.)_


	5. Dare You to Move

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Five: _Dare You to Move_

~~*~~

Ginny found herself fighting an inner battle as she walked the corridors. Why had she defended Draco? She knew full well that she hadn't watched Draco the entire time; she _had put the root of asphodel in though._

Yet the Slytherin had been nothing but vile to her family, and friends, since day one. Albeit he was being semi-nice to her now, it did not mean he wasn't still being vile. He would not have put bad ingredients in on purpose.

Damn him, though. And damn that potion! None of this would have happened if not for the potion. She wouldn't have almost got Professor Snape in trouble with the Governors. She wouldn't have yelled at Ron. She wouldn't have an upset and half-empty stomach. And she, most certainly, "would not be having a fight with my bloody self!"

Ginny continued her storming about the castle, muttering here and there. "What the hell am I thinking? Who cares who did what! Shouldn't the thing just be that I'm okay?"

"Probably."

Her scream echoed as she turned and kicked with her leg.

"Whoa!" Draco grabbed her ankle just before it made contact with his head. "Scare easily?" he watched her angry and frightened look turn to one of embarrassment and a glare.

"Damn it, Draco! Don't you know not to interrupt someone when they are on a rampage?"

"Not when the rampage is taking place near the Slytherin common room," he replied. Glancing at the leg he still held, he nodded approvingly, "nice leg."

Turning red, Ginny lowered her balled fists. "Can I have it back?"

"Oh! Yes." Now who's flustered, Ginny thought sarcastically.

"Wait! Slyth – How'd I get near the Slytherin commons? I could have sworn I was going up, not down . . ." she lowered her leg as she thought.

Draco crossed his arms. "Just watch were you're going next time."

"Don't you tell me what to do! I'll go where I please when I'm on a blind rampage! Does _this look like the face that cares if she's down by the Slytherin commons?" she pointed to her face, which was angry and annoyed looking. She decided to not let him answer and chose to storm past him. She turned quickly, causing her hair to fly around her. An image that Draco was sure wouldn't leave his memory anytime soon. "And considering I just yelled at Ron – something I rarely do! – to save your arse a beating, you should be grateful!"_

Draco raised an eyebrow at the red-faced girl. "Done with your tirade?"

Ginny gave him a tired nod; her stomach didn't feel so good anymore. Stupid potion.

"Virginia, are you all right?" how did her face go from red and pissed off to pale so fast? He watched her wrap her arms about her midsection, a pained look on her face.

"The potion. I think – bathroom?"

The broken sentence was quickly pieced together. She was going to be sick. Where were the girls' toilets? "Bloody hell. Why couldn't you get sick near the loo?" Ginny answered him by placing a hand over her mouth. Looking around, Draco muttered the password to his House, and led the girl inside.

The red head had little time to observe her surroundings as Draco ran her up some stairs and into a bedroom. She was shoved into a bathroom just as the bile broke through its barrier. Her only luck was that the toilet lid had been left upright.

Ginny coughed as the last of her lunch rushed out. "Bloody potion . . ." echoed as she whispered it into the porcelain crown she hovered around. Flushing the toilet and walking slowly to the sink, she surmised that it would do her good to wash her face. It needed some color back in it.

_There's a story to tell people: I vomited in Draco Malfoys' loo back at Hogwarts._ She washed the horrid taste out of her mouth as well as she could and patted dry her face before exiting the bathroom.

"Feeling better?" well he didn't have to be rude about it.

"Thank you . . . For bringing me in here," Ginny replied, embarrassed to have that happen in front of him. Of all people, why him? Draco remained silent at her thanks. "I'll just be leaving, I sup –"

"You can't." That stopped her. What did he mean?

"I can't? Why not? Am I your prisoner now that I –"

Draco scowled. "You can't because classes just got started again. There are too many fifth years with a free period in the common room."

"Would you stop doing that?" she tried to control her temper.

"Stop what?"

Ginny sighed. "Stop interrupting me!"

"It's the only way to shut you up," he said just as bitterly.

Ginny turned around and took a seat in the furthest corner from him. And then amazed him with how small she could make herself when she curled up. "I'm not wanted here, I can tell. The other Gryffs make me feel like this sometimes too." Her eyes lifted to his, no longer did they look certain and defiant. No, they looked sad. "Where can I leave?"

"Not until dinner," Draco felt like he should feel guilty for her sad eyes. Acutely, he did.

Ginny put her head back down. _Why does everyone make me feel unwanted? Am I unwanted? No . . . not everyone. I only have six brothers because Mum had wanted a girl so much. She made sure her tears would go unnoticed by the stony-featured boy sitting across the room, and who she was almost sure would tease her for the tears._

_But if mum wanted me so, why does it seem like I'm not there?_ she asked herself, yet knew full well that it would do her no good to feel sorry for herself. What was the point of it? She didn't have anyone to comfort her; friends only consisted of the elves, and they were back at home.

Sure, there was Ron, Harry, and Hermione . . . but they were so much closer than even Ron and she had ever been. _And Ron and I live with each other!_ Yet Ginny knew that she would never have friends like Harry and Hermione.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself!_ Ginny tried to stop her tears, but they continued to drop onto the plush green carpet. _Virginia Weasley, stop crying this instant! You're not in the lions' den anymore; you're in the snakes' lair. Leave it to her to think a strange though like that. _Do you want him to see you cry? Do you want _Draco Malfoy_ to see you cry?__

Frankly, she didn't care at the moment. All she knew was that she would be in so much trouble. One: she was skipping classes, by no true fault of her own. Two: she was a Gryffindor in the Slytherin dorms. Three: Ron was already mad enough; when he heard she hadn't been in classes, there would be hell to pay. By her.

_Stupid, protective older brother. If that's his way of showing he loves me – I'll bloody hex him._ Sadness quickly turned to anger at the thought; she could just picture the ways to hex Ron. She sniffled again, _bloody tears._

~~*~~

Draco watched the girl. For five minutes she had been sitting almost immobile. He tried to ignore the faintly echoing sniffles coming from her, but he wasn't successful. He knew she was crying, what he didn't know was _why._

"Wea –" he sighed, stopping short. Though new to the ways of compassion, or something remotely resembling it, Draco stood and walked towards her.

She looked so vulnerable, curled up like that. She didn't resemble the defiant, kind sixteen-year-old he had met; instead she looked like a hurting child.

_What am I thinking? This girl _is_ a child. Does she even know what true pain is?_

Draco crouched down to her level, like he was going to talk to a child. "Virginia?"

Sniffle. "Go away."

Perplexity crossed his gray eyes. She sounded almost like she was mad. At him? Why? "Virginia."

"Go away." This time it came out more forcibly. Who was she mad at? And why would she be mad? What was it with girls and their ever-changing emotions?!

He pursed his lips. She couldn't possibly be mad at anyone, save herself. And most likely because of her tears. "Virginia."

"Just go away!" this time she yelled at him before pushing him.

Draco landed hard on his bum and he stared at the girl now glaring at him. She certainly has some strength in her. "Virginia –"

"What part of _go away_," she stood to tower over him, "do you not understand?" before he formulated his answer, she was at his door.

He was up and blocking the door in the blink of an eye. "Where do you think you are going?"

"Well, since you can't figure out what go away means, I'm going to leave and make it easy on you!"

"You can't."

"Why? Because the fifth years? I'll just hex them, or something," Ginny wasn't going to stay, he knew.

"They'd have you down before you could even think of a curse," Draco replied, his voice quiet. "You wouldn't even stand a chance."

"I want out, _now," he knew she was serious, the look all over her face told him that. But he was too; she wouldn't stand a chance against them._

"No."

Ginny looked defeated. "Why won't you let me out? I just want to go rant and rave to myself," she sighed sadly. "Just let me go . . ."

He felt almost sorry now that she was forced to stay. All she wanted was to be left alone. He could relate, but knew she couldn't go out there. He wouldn't let her get hurt. "Rant then."

Her confused blue-greens hit his grays quickly. "What?"

"You said you wanted to rant, so rant." She remained quiet, was he insane? "Well, come now. Out with it!"

She shook her head. "You don't want to hear me ranting. If you can really call what I do ranting."

"I wouldn't tell you to if I didn't," he told her with a straight face. Why did he care?

"No, Draco. You really don't know what you're getting into."

Draco crossed him arms and waited. Her sigh was audible as she moved from the door. His eyes followed her as she walked away. Draco turned when she didn't look like she was going to talk.

"I'm unwanted." He turned his head to see the girl. "I used to think that I was really special," she furrowed her brows and motioned about with her hands. "My mum had so many sons, because she really wanted me. A daughter."

_That's why there are Weasleys all over? Because of this girl?_ Draco found himself understanding, if even minutely.

"But I didn't turn into the daughter my mum wanted. She wanted me to be soft-spoken, delicate; basically she wanted me to be just like her." She slumped into his green high-backed chair. "I became exactly what she _didn't_ want, though. I was loud, rambunctious, and with six brothers, I couldn't afford to be delicate," he watched her stand up again, pacing much like a lion. "I swear . . . she'd force me to be like her, if she didn't know I'd only try harder to be what she didn't want."

"Do you try to be what she doesn't want?" he could only hope she didn't get angry with him for his question.

"Sometimes. Usually when I'm mad at her. But that's not often. I hate her sometimes – I hate all of my family members sometimes. But that's only sometimes . . . They've been good to be over the years."

Draco watched as she halted her pacing and gazed unblinkingly into his eyes. The truth of what was to come out next was confirmed wit her look.

"I sometimes hate my family, but I only sometimes really like myself."

"What?"

Ginny resumed her pacing, waving her words off as if they were insignificant. "You wouldn't understand. Just forget I said anything about it."

He walked to her quickly and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him. He glared slightly. "Don't tell me I wouldn't understand. I'm not letting you wear down my carpeting, and ruin your knees to stay ignorant," he dropped his arms to his sides. "And I would understand."

"How could you? You're Draco Malfoy, the boy with the perfect life for him. How could you possibly understand anything I say?"

"_You_ wouldn't understand," he echoed her words easily as he walked past her.

"Then make me understand."

Draco felt Ginny grab his arm. He felt a shock go throughout the limb, and tore it away quickly. Why did he always feel like telling her something when she asked him to? What was it about her that made him tell her? "For one, I don't have a perfect life."

"How so?" What was _she getting herself into? She was poking a very short stick at a dangerous snake, and she knew it. So why did she keep poking? Attention was drawn from her thoughts to the boy advancing on her._

He towered over her before speaking. "I have lived in fear my entire life. I have no perfect life." Ginny backed away a few paces. "I'd lie awake when I was younger, hoping that I would not be summoned to my Fathers' chambers."

Draco watched her back away again, and he moved with her. "Your – Your Fathers' chambers?" she managed to get out.

"I was eight, when I first saw Voldemort. He was there, telling my father that he was going to come back to power. He was using the body of my nanny to get around. Voldemort had been watching my family. Watching _me._

"I didn't know – then – that he was there to discussing with my father when I should be marked. All I knew was that I was to fear, but never show it, and respect this man for all his power. He left, saying I would receive it that very night, in ten years; my birthday."

"Draco –" she bumped into the wall, she hadn't know she was that close to it. The blonde serpent advances until his breath was on her face.

"He came back, though, the night before I was to leave for Hogwarts for my first year. He said I was to befriend Harry Potter at all costs. As you can see, it didn't work. My birthday present that year was _Crucio,_ compliments of Lord Voldemort."

"But you were just twelve!" Ginny still tried to move away, but Draco had placed his hands on either side of her head. He bent closer to her face. "Draco, stop it."

He could see the fright in her bright blue-green eyes; hear it in her voice. Draco bent his head closers, placing one hand possessively on her waist, forcing her hips to bump against his.

"Draco, stop it!"

"Insurmountable fear . . . What kind of perfect life is that?" he whispered into her ear before walking away. He could feel her stare, and almost see the gears in her head working.

Ginny slowed her breath from the frightened gasps she had been taking. He had used the only way he could think of to show her the fear that he had to live in. How could he survive that? "Fear and wanting. It seems that neither of us have the perfect lives we pretend to have."

"You're wanted, Virginia. You have no idea how you're wanted. Just open your damn eyes and _look around! There are tons of people who are your friends. People who _need_ you."_

He saw her shake her head.

"If you're talking about Ron, Harry, Hermione, or any of the other seventh years, you're dead wrong. My mum forces Ron to hang out with me now. Before Harry and Hermione, Ron and I were inseparable. Now I know nothing about him. Besides the fact that he's overbearingly protective and has a huge crush on Hermione."

"You don't have any friends?" he couldn't believe that a girl such as herself could be friendless. She was too perfect.

Ginny shrugged small shoulders. "Acquaintances, but friends are hard to come by. I've trusted friends before, and it was used against me . . . Colin is the only one I trust anymore."

"Used against you?" Draco echoed with a hint of confusing in his voice.

She nodded solemnly. "There were things that I would only tell my friends," she stopped in what Draco could only place as thought. "Many of such, I just told you. Anyway, there were angry with me, this was first year so I was really pushing them to do their work," Ginny turned around to pace again. "I must've really pissed them off because that year they sent the anonymous Valentine to Harry."

"Hm," she hadn't sent the message?

Ginny sighed deeply. "It was horrid. All the teasing I had to endure, most came from you . . . But the problem was easily solved. Ron told everyone that I couldn't possibly have sent the Valentine, seeing as I hate that holiday."

"Is _that the only reason you don't have friends?" he sounded like he was talking to a child again._

"After that, they found it more and more amusing to make me look like a fool," she turned to face him. "And because of their rumors and jokes, none of the Gryffindor girls in my year really talk to me. And the Chamber just made everything worse  . . ." she lifted her eyes when she heard his voice.

"Virginia, get over it. You can't let some vindictive girls keep you from having friends."

The wrath of Virginia Weasleys' temper wasn't at all what Draco expected. "They aren't _keeping me from having friends! I __choose not to have friends!" she glared at him angrily. "How would you understand betrayal like that? You delve it out most of the time, don't you?" as soon as it was said, she wished she could take the words back and swallow her temper._

"Betrayal is what the Malfoy family is all about, Virginia," Draco replied calmly.

When she looked at him, she could only think that she had poked the stick one too many times. Had she gone too far? Who cared? She deserved whatever he said to her. But how dare he accuse her of not having friends because of the sixth year girls.

That was just part of the reason.

"Draco, I'm –" Ginny stopped and looked at him. She never once had trouble saying sorry in her entire life. Why was she now?

"You can't apologize for saying something that was allowed to be said."

"I still should not have said that, Draco," she couldn't even face him. "It's not a wonder why I have no friends. Once again, the perfect life I pretend to have is just a mirage . . ."

"Damn it, Virginia!" she jumped at his outburst. "You don't even realize it, do you?"

"Realize what?"

He looked at her face searchingly. "You _do have a perfect life. You are allowed to live life like _you_ want to. You can have fear and worry. I can't. Do you know what would happen to me if I was worried, or scared, about something?"_

Ginny shook her red heard and wanted to say something, but was interrupted.

"Virginia, if Voldemort knew, the Death Eaters would torture me until I told them. Then they would kill what was causing the worry."

She closed her eyes, knowing that worry made her complete sometimes. How did he live without it?

"Your life is perfect, for you only, Virginia. No one else could live with it like you do."

Without any warning, Ginny found tears slipping through her closed eyes. Something had to be wrong with her; she rarely cried more than once every few months.

"Stop crying."

The girl lifted her eyelids. "I can't . . ."

"I don't need your pity, or your sympathy," he said in a still present angry tone.

"You don't have them," through the tears, she could see his confusion. "You have my empathy."

"What?" it came out fast, quiet, and shocked.

"I understand what you have to go through, Draco," she saw his dubious look and continued on. "I know I've never gone through any of the pain you have, but it's like I can . . . _feel what it's like for you. I know it sounds stupid –"_

Draco looked at her, searching for something that was not on the surface, yet ever present in one Virginia Weasley.

"What?" her eyes were big, innocent spots – still glassy from just shed tears – on her pale face.

"Why don't you like Valentines' Day?"

Ginny smiled. "Promise me you won't use any of the stuff I told you against me?"

Draco nodded at request. "I promise; I have yet to break one, you know."

"Indeed," Ginny said sarcastically as she paced about. She felt his eyes on her as she stopped in front of his balcony doors. They stayed with her as she pushed open the doors and stepped outside.

Draco was sure she wasn't going to answer his question when her voice drifted inside to his ears. "I was never given a reason to really believe in love."

"In your family?" there always seemed like there was plenty of "love" to go around in that family.

Ginny placed her forearms on the stone railing. "I bet that does sound strange. Sure, I'm loved by my family, but that isn't the love I meant." She sighed; it was hard to think of how she should explain it. "I have a list . . . " she turned to face him. "Of all the things I want to do before I die. Falling in love with someone is on it. Hopefully he falls back of course."

"You'll have a while to wait if you go looking for it."

"Pardon?" How did it come about that she was discussing _love_ with Draco Malfoy?

Draco came out to the balcony, and seated himself on the ledge much like he usually did. "My mother once told me something that I figured irrelevant. To this day, I haven't the slightest clue as to why she told me."

"What'd she tell you?"

He turned his head from her questioning face and closed his eyes, visualizing how she had looked when she told him. "She told me: _"Don't go looking for love, Draco, you'll never find it. Let love find you and you will have never lost it."_ I still don't understand what she meant, though. But the saying stuck with me."

Ginny thought it over, wondering how Narcissa Malfoy was such a bright woman. "She meant that you couldn't just look for love, because what you want to love is unattainable expectations. Just kind of have let love come to you." She stared out at the students in Hagrids' class with a small smile. "You know when you lose something, and go about searching as hard as you can, yet it stays lost?"

"Yes."

"Ever realized that you always find whatever it was once you've stopped looking?"

Draco turned to face her. "Yes . . ."

"_That's_ how love is. It's a lost until you stop looking sort of thing. My mum likes to say that love bites you in the bum when you least expect it."

He didn't know how to respond to her words. He had never been in love to know if it really bit you in the bum.

"Do all seventh year Slytherin's have private rooms with a balcony? Or are you just special?"

Once again, the girls' ability to change the subject so smoothly almost made him smile. She had made it seem like that had been the topic of conversation all along. How?

"Draco?" where had his head gone to – Lala land?

At his name, he set his eyes on her confused face. "What?"

"Where were you? You were just staring off into . . . space." She knew her cheeks stained a slight red. How would you go about telling a boy who was once your enemy that he was staring into your eyes? Why had he looked so amazed, as well?

"Never you mind, Virginia."

"Why do you call me that?" asked in all seriousness.

His eyebrows knitted together. "What?"

"Virginia."

"It's your name. Isn't it?"

Ginny nodded, "well, yes. But no one calls me by that name, save about three people."

She watched him stand up from the stone ledge and walk to the balcony doorway. "It's time you grow up, and thus you should have an adult name."

"I don't get it . . ."

"Get what, Virginia?"

She smiled at his exasperated tone. "I don't get why . . . why so many people don't try to get to know you."

"Because I don't let them get to know me. It's better that way." He leaned on the doorframe, back facing the girl questioning him.

"Would it have been better if you'd never met me?" she saw his back stiffen instantly.

It was an innocent enough question, Draco knew, but why did it have to be asked? Why did she insist on asking difficult questions?

"Dra –"

"No."

"What?" she sounded more surprised than she thought she would.

He faced her slowly, looking at her. "No, Virginia."

Ginny stared at his face, searching it like he had hers, almost as if what she was seeing and hearing were only a façade. Draco truly didn't mind her? She bit her bottom lip, trying to smile down the after effects of her constricted throat.

Draco, however, recognized that face that she was forming; he had seen it many times on his own when he was younger and trying to control his emotions. He decided upon taking a page from Virginia's book. "So what's on that list of yours?"

"List?" she blinked covertly a few times as she asked.

"You said earlier that you have a list of things to do before you die."

"Oh!" Ginny sighed and waved her hand about in a dismissive fashion. "Its just things I wish I could do, but most are impossible . . . even for the magical community."

"Like?"

"Visit Awthawae again; be in two places at once – and splinching doesn't count; learn to dance; fall in love – you know that already," Ginny stopped for a moment. "I've already completed number ten – befriend someone that I didn't like."

Draco hid whatever feelings had come up at her words. So they were friends now? Hm . . . seemed only plausible. "What is number one?"

"It's a secret, that's what."

"Visit Awthawae again? Don't you see her every summer?"

Ginny shook her head sadly. "Lohelm moved the village. Awthawae couldn't tell me where though. Apparently some Elf Hunters tracked them down . . . because they followed my footprints. I'd just want to see her again, she is one of the few friends I have."

"What's number one on your list?"

"Damn it, Draco! Don't make me throw something at you."

He put of a face of mock surprise. "You'd do that to me?"

"Yes!" she couldn't believe him. Why was he acting like this?

With a mischievous grin, "what's numb – bloody hell!"

Ginny smiled triumphantly when her shoe bounced off his chest. "That's what you get!" she walked over to him and scooped her shoe from the floor. As she put it back on, she spoke quietly, "I've never told anybody. I haven't trusted someone that much yet." When she straightened, her face was so close to his that she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks.

Draco stared at her unflinching gaze. Once again, he could feel the warmth of her body. Wanting to say "not even your family?" but unable to do so, he just looked at her, creating a mental picture in his head over the oval shape of her slightly pale, lightly freckled face; it was cut by her red lips and bright eyes.

"Draco?"

He instantly felt foolish.

"Draco, can I ask a question?" Ginny stepped back, to give both of them the space they need to function properly.

"You just did," the blonde finally swallowed his foolishness. "But, yes, you can ask another."

Ginny rolled her eyes; she really should have expected that type of answer from him. Then she looked at him with thought. "What are you going to do . . . about joining Voldemort?"

"Severus, Professor Snape to you, is going to train me to be a spy . . . Against Voldemort." He didn't expect her to look as crestfallen as she did.

"What?"

"I'm going to spy against Voldemort, Virginia."

Ginny stared at him in shock. He sounded so serious. Was he? "No! Do you have any idea what he'll do if you're caught spying? Draco, he will kill you without a second thought!"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Then why are you going to risk your life? It's suicide, Draco! You're a Malfoy . . . You'll be one of his most trusted, once you've been there long enough."

Draco nodded in agreement. "That's exactly why I should spy, Virginia! I can help Dumbledore if Voldemort entrusts me with information. Who knows . . . maybe that information could end him _now not later."_

"I want Voldemort gone now, too! But not at the cost of innocents," she shook her head at her quiet words.

Draco grabbed her shoulders. "Virginia, I am anything but innocent. And the people going to fight Voldemort? They _know what they are getting into. They know they could die."_

"Then why would they fight? What if Voldemort killed the man who would've gotten his wife pregnant with the person who would cure AIDS?"

"If he did, it just means that we weren't ready for the cure, Virginia. They go to fight because they aren't frightened to die. They fight because it will bring Voldemorts' downfall. It will bring a new generation a children that don't have to live in fear!"

Ginny looked to the ground. "I'm not so sure, Draco."

"What? Weren't you the girl who told me that Voldemort will not last?"

She became quite interested in anything but him.

"Virginia!"

"I hadn't factored you in . . ."

He stared at her, confused out of his mind. "To what?"

"Into the battle. I didn't know you were going to fight for us. I factored you in on the wrong side."

What was she babbling about? He saw her jerk her head up; staring him straight in the eyes as if she were a lie detector. "Why are you doing this? Why are you going to fight against him?" she knew her voice was getting louder with each word.

"Because of you, Virginia! You and all your questions that demanded answers, answers to my questions; and your words."

Ginny couldn't find words. He was putting his life on the life because of her? She didn't understand!

"If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be a spy!"

"So you're saying you wished you hadn't met me . . ."

"No!"

Ginny looked at him, "then what are you saying, Draco?"

"That you . . ."

Ginny turned away from him, the newly lit fire shone on her face. He did wish they hadn't met . . . "Why would you do something so foolish, Draco? Voldemort will find out. And even if he doesn't, he'll find something else to ruin your life."

"You, Virginia."

Ginny heard his footsteps, and then a door opening. When it closed, the walls holding her tears back collapsed. 

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

~~*~~


	6. Falling Down

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Six: _Falling Down_

~~*~~

Ginny turned her head slightly when the door opened again. An hour later.

"Common room's empty."

She looked at him when he spoke. Nodding slowly, her knees popped as she stood. In her time of silence, she had had the time to realize just how hungry she was getting. She had found that throwing up your food, then not eating for another three hours made you feel like you needed to throw up . . . again.

Quietly, with Draco looking around every corner, the two made their way to the cold corridor. And Draco, knowing the way, led them to the stairs that would put them right at the Great Hall.

"Are you going to talk to Professor Dumbledore?" Ginny glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He nodded as if he knew she was looking. Once again, they stopped outside the Great Halls' doors. Ginny lifted her head, putting on a stoic face. "Draco, I'm –"

"Don't bother, Virginia; we both are."

Her face split into a small smile as he walked past her to enter the Hall. That was Ginnys favorite way of apologizing. She didn't have to say she was sorry, and the other person reciprocated her feelings.

As she stared at the ornate door in front of her eyes, Ginny knew that entering the room was not what she wanted. Instead, she followed Fred and Georges' instructions and walked to the kitchens.

"Hello, Miss!"

Ginny smiled down at the house elf, "hi there."

"What can Sparky get for you, Miss?"

"Um . . . I'll take some chicken and mashed potatoes, if you don't mind." Sparky was off before she had even finished talking, and back soon with her food.

"Here you go, Miss!"

Ginny sat down at a small table, "thank you very much, Sparky." She sat there, thinking of how she would explain to Ron why she had missed all but her morning classes. "Definitely won't be easy . . ."

Her thoughts, however, were not on her mind for long. She desperately needed to know why Draco had pegged her as his reason of opposing Voldemort. Why? What had she done? What had she said? "Why is he doing this?!"

"Sparky does not know a He, Miss."

Ginny jumped, lifting her chin from her palm, "Sparky . . . Oh, never mind me. I had better go. Thank you!"

" 'Tis a pleasure, Miss!"

The portrait shut quietly after she stepped through. Sounds of many voices flittered down from the upper level. "Guess dinner's over . . ." the realization caused an outburst as the petit red head ran up the stairs to the main level as fast as her legs would carry. If the excuse of being sick was going to work, she had better get to her bed.

Running down Parvarti, and scaring some first year Hufflepuffs, Ginny breathlessly said the password. "You look horrid, dear!" the Fat Lady rarely lied.

"Thank you!" Ginny yelled back as she entered. If all went well, she'd have just the right amount of time to change and get into bed. She had indeed timed it just right.

"Colin said she hasn't been in classes since lunch. Think she's still sick from the potion?" Hermione was like a mother hen sometimes. Just for good measure, Ginny rolled onto her side, face towards them.

"Ginny?" Ron stepped the rest of the way into the dark room.

_No, Ron, you don't have to knock before entering a girls' room! Just come on in!_ she thought sarcastically as the three approached her bed.

"It looks like she has a fever," Hermione whispered to the boys. "Look, she's sweating!" Ginny held back a flinch as Hermiones' hand was placed on her forehead, then cheeks. "Let's leave her to sleep, she's got a slight fever."

"But –"

Hermione shooed them from the room. "She'll be fine in the morning."

_No, she won't, _Ginny found herself thinking. She pulled her knees up to her chin and curled her arms about them. Why did she always do this? If driving people away were an art, she'd be Van Gogh.

_I've got to stop blaming myself. I wasn't the only one fighting back there._ She chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she picked up around the age of four. Pulling the duvet over her head and groaning, she was sure that this was _not her week. Couldn't break come any faster?_

"Break!" she sat up so fast she got light-headed. Draco was leaving for the break to be Marked. How had she mutated his decision on sides?

~~*~~

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. I hope you are well?" Dumbledore motioned for the boy to sit.

"Honestly, I've been better."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Have you made your final decision?"

"Yes," Draco looked at his semi-surrogate father, then the man whom Voldemort feared. "I shall be a spy."

The spark quickly dissipated from Dumbledores' eyes. "Are you positive that this is what you want to do, Mr. Malfoy? Have you thought about the consequences?"

"Yes, sir."

With a suppressed sigh, the aged Headmaster nodded. "Then Severus shall keep you under his watch. You can go to your dorm now."

"Good night, Sir, Professor," Draco walked towards the door.

"And Draco?" he turned at the Headmasters' voice. "Do sort things out."

Things? What was he talking about? Nodding, Draco shut the door behind him. Once in his dorm, he found himself gazing at the now bare skin. In just two days, he would have the Mark.

Was he doing the right thing? Should he even go through with getting the Dark Mark? He didn't want to be the servant of a man doomed to fall.

_But you're serving Dumbledore now . . . and he won't fall._

Still, Virginias' words echoed in his head. _"I factored you in on the wrong side."_ Surely he couldn't have that much of an effect on which side won. How could she know anyway? No one could predict the way a war came out.

Yet she sounded as if she could . . . and had.

Damn that girl! In less than a week, all of his convictions had been flipped. How did she do it? He knew the answer to that question. He knew it was because she believed that he could be anything he wanted to be.

_She is too nice to be living in a corrupt world like this! _he looked up when his door was opened.

"So steadfast in your decision, Draco. If I recall correctly, this time last year you were very much steadfast in the other direction."

"This are often factored wrong, Severus."

Severus clasped his hand behind his back. "Such as?"

Draco's eyes drifted to the corner, then the balcony. "Her."

"Ah."

"I've fallen, Severus . . . And I wish I hadn't."

The Potions Mast knew exactly how his pupil felt.

~~*~~

Ginny felt like screaming as if she were a madwoman. That would just attract unwanted attention, which was exactly what she _didn't _want. Why were things so confusing!

"Hey."

Ginny snapped her head up. "Hermione?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing?"

Ginny shrugged. "Could be better."

Hermione closed the door before taking a seat on the sixth years' bed. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, I think it's just the potion or something. You yourself said I had a fever."

"I was lying, Virginia. It was obvious you had been running," Hermione replied.

"What?"

The brunette smiled. "One: you were breathing to hard for someone acting like they were asleep. Two: your eyes moved when I put my hand on your forehead. And three: I saw you push Parvarti."

"Oh . . ."

"So?" Ginny gave her a look that clearly said "so what?" Hermione smiled, "why'd you skip your classes?"

"I couldn't face them. I didn't want to handle all the questions," Ginny lied smoothly.

Hermione nodded, "I had better go work on my schoolwork. Are you sure you're –"

"I'm fine, Hermione. Don't worry about me," Ginny smiled reassuringly. She waited until the girl had left to flop backwards onto her bed. "Oy ve." She turned over to her stomach and sighed. _Whoever said that life was easy, never went to Hogwarts. _Sometimes she wondered if she made things seem more difficult than they really were.

Today was his last day. Draco was going to leave from Hogsmeade Station to avoid the other students. Ginny didn't know if she wanted to say goodbye to him.

She didn't know if she could.

She also didn't know if she should give him the present she had bought; it had been spur of the moment.

"Ginny, where are you off to?" Ron looked up from a game of Wizards Chess.

"Just mailing a package. Christmas and all, you know." She left the common room before he realized that Christmas was well over a week away.

Climbing the creaky stairs, she pushed open the door. Her slight hopes were whisked away when only the owls greeted her. Why did she think Draco would be up here?

Selecting an owl that looked fit enough, she tied the package with string, making sure the letter wouldn't fall. "Take this to Draco Malfoy's quarters, please." The own hooted loudly and took flight out one of the many windows.

"I hope you like it . . ."

~~*~~

Draco turned in his high backed chair when he heard the tapping. He wasn't expecting an owl . . .

The black bird, once relived of its parcel, took flight quickly back to the Owlery. Draco untied the string, picking up the letter first.

_Draco,_

_            A Muggle American president once said: "the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." As you can tell, that one doesn't work well for you. Fear is not something you are allowed to possess. Just always know that you can win. You can beat him._

_            This Muggle was more to your workings: "In life, the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch." See, you have a journey ahead of you. It's your choice to make it._

_            Wish you could have a more enjoyable birthday and Happy Christmas. Use your present well._

- _Virginia_

Setting the letter next to the parcel, he tore the paper off to reveal a book. "_Wandless Spells from Here and There . . ." Draco opened the cover, leafing through the pages. Every so often, a page would be dog-eared._

How had she come across a book like this? Some were defensive spells, but more were for the offense; protection spells.

Even after the fight that had happened, she still wished him a happy birthday and Christmas? "You're too forgiving Virginia," he murmured as he sat back to read the book.

~~*~~

Ginny headed down the stairs slowly, watching for the trick step. She nodded her head to her own tune when she heard Colin.

"Ginny! Hey, Ginny!" she turned around and stopped so he could catch up. "Did you hear the rumors?"

This guy gossiped more than she did . . . "What rumors?"

"That Malfoy is leaving from the station to be Marked during first hour."

Blue-green eyes bulged. "Colin, do me a favor."

"Sure, anything."

"Take notes for me," she was all the way up the stairs, starting on the second she yelled back. "Tell McGonagall I'm not feeling well!"

"Why?" Colin sighed. "Ginny!"

Ginny ran through the corridors back to the Gryffindor common room. She heard a shout that sounded oddly like Ron as she ran by twos up the dorm steps.

"Where is it? Where is it?" Ginny flung her bag onto her bed as she finally found the cloak. She swung it about her shoulders and clasped it; she grabbed her broom on the way out.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were leaving just as she got to the common room again. She slipped past, and sprinted to the main doors; she jumped on the broom as soon as she felt the cold air hit her face.

Ginny, however, could only hope she got there in time. Walking, or even running, was not an option. He would be gone by the time she got there. She dismounted and put the broom up against the ticket booth, straightening herself out and removing the cloak as she walked to the platform.

Draco stood solitary, with only a suitcase to keep him company. He didn't notice her until she spoke.

"Leaving already?" she set her cloak down on his suitcase, so she didn't have to hold it in her arms.

Turning, he forced down a jump of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"That's a good question," Ginny smiled lightly as he turned to face the tracks again. She knew he knew there was no answer for his question. "How are you getting there?"

He paused before answering her and found it hard not to look at her. "Professor Dumbledore made my suitcase a Portkey. I leave when the bell tower rings."

Ginny nodded, though she knew he couldn't see it. "I guess this is where you leave me," her voice was just above a whisper. "I'm going to have to walk down that platform and turn the corner. Do me a favor – don't watch me leave. Don't expect me to come back and watch you leave me."

Draco looked at her, eyeing the clock before he turned.

"I'm not quite sure just how I should go about telling you goodbye . . ." she looked to him at last.

"Just like that, I suppose," he replied quietly. She looked so sad, all because he was leaving to be Marked.

Ginny stared at him, shaking her head slightly. She finally gave up on trying to talk to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She felt him stiffen, and then slowly put his arms around her waist just as tight as she held him. She didn't want him to leave, but this time she couldn't have what she wanted. And she knew that.

She pulled back from him, searching his eyes, memorizing them as they were before they would become tainted. "Don't watch me, after I turn the corner," she reiterated. "I'll leave you . . . just as you leave me."

Draco could see the tears starting in her eyes. How was he supposed to say goodbye to her? "Virginia, I . . ." it was damn impossible.

Her eyes shifted behind him, to the clock. "It's about to chime."

Draco loosened his grip on the petite girl, watching as she dropped her forehead onto his chest. He placed a hand under her chin, lifting her eyes back to his. Ginny saw the slight smile on his face, and the sad look in his eyes. "I have to go soon . . ." he rubbed away the tear that fell from her eye with his thumb.

Ginny felt him lean in, and felt him hesitate. Why was he hesitating? She felt like she was being slightly tortured when his warm breath hit her lips, not knowing that she was doing the same to him. She lifted herself up to her toes and met him; her eyes fluttering closed as their lips met.

Draco found himself slightly surprised at her, but then he knew he shouldn't have been. So he just pulled her closer and wrapped his arms tighter around her again; she felt perfect to him when she was in his arms. 

Ginny stepped closer, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck, but not so she would choke him. She felt so secure in his arms like this, but she could hear the chimes in what seemed like the far, far distance. She pulled back slightly, "the clock . . ."

"I have to go," but he didn't want to.

Ginny nodded, then kissed him again before stepping away from his arms. She didn't say anything, just looked at him as if it were the last time she was going to see him, then turned around and walked down the platform with dignity that Draco knew only she could possess in a moment like this. She broke into a run when she was almost at the corner.

Draco watched the corner, hoping to see her come back.

But she didn't.

So he looked down at his suitcase, to grab the handle, but blinked in surprise. Virginia's cloak was still draped over the black case; a note was attached to it. He picked up the cloak, enlarged it before putting it on, and tucked the note into his pocket.

He knew what it would say.

"Use it well, Draco . . . I do love you," Ginny whispered as she leaned against the ticket booth, holding back her tears the best she could.

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

~~*~~


	7. Taking Over Me

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Seven: _Taking Over Me_

~~*~~

"Virginia."

"Draco! What are you doing here?" Ginny ran towards him, jumping into his arms while he caught her.

"I didn't go through with it, Virginia."

Ginny stared at him, her eyes wide. "You didn't?"

Draco smiled, shaking his head in a no fashion. "I couldn't do it, Virginia. I kept hearing your cries in my head. I came back as soon as I possibly could."

"It's too good to be true," Ginny stated as she looked into his eyes, disbelief in her own.

She was pushed back from his body roughly. "You're right. It is."

"Draco!" she stared at his Marked arm.

His body moved backward from her like he was just floating away. "And I'm not going to help Dumbledore, the old fool."

Ginny reached out for him, but he only went back further. "Draco! No, Draco!"

"Come back!" she woke at her own scream; she could feel the sweat of fear on her face. She covered her face with her hands, silently sobbing to herself. God how she hated those dreams. 

Ginny gasped for breath and tried to stop the tears. She threw back her covers and slipped the warmed cloak around her and slipped quietly out of the Gryffindor House.

The tower just didn't look the same as it had that night with Draco. She frequented it during the break often enough. She always came here after one of her dreams. It seemed to calm her, knowing that at least here, Draco had been at peace. She sat on the bench, pulling her legs up to her chest and circling her arms about them.

What had happened at his Marking? Had it hurt? What did he have to do for Voldemort to prove that he was worthy enough to have it? Or had he proven that he was already? What did they make the new Death Eaters do at the initiations?

_What if they have to do something like rape an innocent Muggle girl then kill her? God, Ginny! What the hell are you thinking morbid like that for? Stop thinking about him! _she yelled to herself.

Ginny had to get off the tower. Trying to rid her thoughts of Draco wasn't working well if she was in the exact spot where she had first really met him.

When she got back to her bed, nearly getting caught by Mrs. Norris in the process, she felt back to sleep just fine. But she knew a dream would run into her at some point. She couldn't control what she dreamed, though she wished she could.

~~*~~

"Miss Weasley!"

Ginny jumped in surprise, almost knocking the cauldron right off its stand. Snapes' stern face came into her vision quickly.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny looked up at him. "I'm not really thinking about what I'm doing, Professor Snape. Which, by the way, is nothing."

"Beg your pardon, Miss Weasley?" Snape glared at her for her last remark.

"Well, there's no need to beg for my pardon, but all right, you're pardoned," Ginnys' eyes widened as she stopped talking, she bit her lip, waiting for what was to come next. She could hear the whispers of her classmates.

Snape folded his arms across her chest. "Detention tonight, Miss Weasley. And ten points from Gryffindor!"

"Peachy," Ginny muttered as Snape walked away. _More of Draco's attitude rubbed off on my own than should be allowed._ She could feel Colin staring at her. "What?"

Colin stared at her like she had gone mad. "You just lost us ten points! And what the hell was with your comments? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"I can win it back in Hagrids' class three times over. And just maybe I do, Colin!" Ginny went back to the potion, adding things as the recipe told her. She could still feel Colins' eyes on her, but she felt another pair on her back.

Something had changed in him though. He hadn't even met her gaze when she looked at him in the Great Hall at breakfast. It made her feel like she had been used. Like she had just been another little thing he didn't need, so he threw it away.

But another part of her knew that wasn't what it was. She had known things would be different when he came back. She had just hoped that they wouldn't be.

"Ginny?"

"What?" she added the last of the ingredients and stirred it around. She really didn't want to talk about her attitude. Colin didn't say anything more on the subject, he knew her well enough to not say anything after a 'what' like that.

"Do you want to work in the dark room tonight, or can I take it?"

Ginnys' eyes slid over slightly. "What do you think Colin?" she sighed, "knock yourself out. Room's yours. I'll develop my pictures tomorrow during my free period." She knew she shouldn't be rude to Colin. But it was just so hard once you were on a roll. It would definitely be the talk of the school, her sassing Professor Snape. She didn't want to be the topic of conversation again.

~~*~~

She pulled open the door, and shut it behind her quietly.

"Weasley."

Ginny turned around quickly. Draco was leaning on a desk, looking quite put out. Her voice was too quite as she spoke, "so it's Weasley again, is it?"

Draco looked away from the girl. Seeing her in school, in class, it was painful for him. Over break, he had tried to, but only failed in, trying to forget her existence.

"Draco?" she leaned on the table next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I have detention, Weasley," he stated simply, failing to sound as put out as he was trying to look.

Ginny sighed, annoyed with him already. "Fine. Be a prissy-ass."

"Excuse me, but I'm not a _prissy-ass, as you put it so eloquently."_

"When have I ever cared about being eloquent, Draco? The least you could do is call me by my first name for crying out loud. You'd think you didn't know a damn thing –"

"Virginia, shut up."

"Why?"

Draco stared at her; the fire flashing in her eyes was something he recollected. He knew not to push her buttons, but also knew he would anyway. His father had questioned him on his unusual behavior, causing him to realize he had to act like his cruel self again. "Because you are annoying me with your incessant blabber."

"You know what, Draco?" she started angrily, "I'm tired of it already. I'm tired of pretending that I hate you just like my family does. I liked thing between us before you left."

He turned away form her, walking a bit before leaning on the table across the aisle. "Well things aren't like they were before break. Things are different now; changed."

"No, I supposed they aren't. Because the guy who I said goodbye to on the platform knew what he was doing, and why. I believe in that guy, so much so that it hurts. But you're not that guy, you can't be. The guy I believe in wouldn't treat me like you are. It's almost as if you've forgotten your path."

"And just what would a little girl like you know of my _path_?" Draco spat.

Ginny glared at him; "I am not a little girl, and I haven't been since I was eleven. But I know everything about where you're supposed to go."

Draco didn't have an answer for her. He hadn't seen her for two weeks, and then the only time he had with her alone, he was arguing with her? How typical.

Ginny let out a disgusted noise as she threw up her hands. "My God, Draco. You don't even know what the hell you're doing right now, do you? Anyone with half a brain would know how to act around people after they've been Marked. And they would know to act like it had never happened! But you're practically going around school, baring your arm to anyone who dares to look at you."

Draco rushed at her, grabbing her bicep. "Don't you dare to accuse me of something as degrading as that, Virginia. I would think that you knew me better than that."

"Yes, you would, wouldn't you?" Ginny retorted, trying to rip her arm away from his grip. "But you know, you're right about that. I do know you better than that. At least I thought it did . . . You've changed, Draco, and I know that you know it. I would have given up just about everything for the Draco I knew on that platform. But you can't be that man until you face the truth."

"What truth?"

Ginny stared at him as if he were dumb. "The truth that you're fighting against everything you know! You have to learn a whole new way of thinking . . . you can't be narrow-minded anymore. At least Snape knew that going into it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Snape knew he had a choice. To help Voldemort, or help Dumbledore. He knew the consequences of helping both of them and thought them through! You just decided on a whim it seems. You just up and said that you were going to help us, like you hadn't even thought about it at all."

Draco glared at her, "I thought about it harder than I've thought about a lot of things in my life, Virginia. I never imagined I would have to make such a decision until you came along and made me question everything I had ever known."

"And we're back to blaming this whole thing on me!"

"No! We're back to saying that you probably did me the biggest favor in my life. I doubt that I could ever repay you. Ever, Virginia! I never thought about what it would be like to live in Azkaban – until you made me think about it."

Ginny stared at him, then shook her head, "I didn't do you any favors. Don't say things like that, because I know you're just going to forget me after you leave Hogwarts. But you know what? I'll probably never forget you. I'll see you in my dreams like I have been for the past two weeks. I'll keep believing that the boy I said goodbye to on the platform, the boy who gave me the best first kiss in the history of any girls' life, will come back someday. Hopefully he'll know what he's supposed to do, and just how to do it."

Draco stared at her, he knew he should say something rude, but he couldn't find the words.

She had the door half open again before she looked at him. "I was really worried _for_ you, Draco. I just thought I'd tell you."

Draco looked at her as she started to walk out the door. He hadn't felt like this since the platform, the feeling that he was complete. Just to know that she had cared about him enough to do his worrying . . . she had to have at least ninety thousand gray hairs for that.

"Virginia."

_Don't turn around, Virginia! Be strong, _who the hell was she fooling? Ginny turned around; her head low in her own shame. She heard him walk towards her, then stop. She could smell what she had placed as Dracos' smell clearly: laundry detergent, sweet smelling after shave, and the faint scent of hair gel. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath; it was doubtful she would be this close to his for the rest of his Hogwarts days. Or the rest of their lives.

Draco stared at her; it was almost as if they were back on the platform. He grabbed her hand, placed the Christmas gift he had thought hard about inside her palm, and then closed her palm.

Ginny opened the classroom door, running out into the hall. But he was already gone. She looked down at her hand again; the necklace glinted in the torchlight. She looked at it closer before she put it on, seeing that the chain held a simple silver serpent ring with green jewels as they eyes. It looked identical to the one she had seen him wearing when he had grabbed her arm.

She knew then, what he felt. 

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

~~*~~

So, this is going to be the last chapter of Draco attending Hogwarts. The next two chapters will be of Ginnys' last days at Hogwarts, Draco in sight, of course. Then it will be off to their post-Hogwarts lives.


	8. Graduation

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Eight: _Graduation_

~~*~~

            Ginny stared at the students she had been in school with for so many years. They had all changed, though she knew some weren't for the better. Or at all, for that matter. It was her turn to speak next, as Head Girl. Colin Creevey had been named Boy opposite her, and was in the process of his speech to their departing class.

            She stood when Colin announced that she was going to speak to them, the clapping was slightly deafening to her ears. She wasn't used to all the attention she had gotten that year for being Head Girl. Smiling at the crowd in front of her eyes, she waited until they were quiet.

            "I once thought I wasn't wanted, that I was useless to the wizarding world. But someone told me that I _was_ wanted. That I just couldn't see it - that I was being daft to think such a thing. I thank him for that, because it's probably some of the best wisdom I've heard in a long time. And I pass it on to every single one of you. Don't ever think that you're not worthy of something, because you _are_. You can do anything you want to do in your life, don't think that you can't, it just takes hard work and dedication. That's how we got here, isn't it? I always knew looking back at us crying would make us laugh, but I never knew looking back at us laughing would make us cry.

            "However, there is one thing I wish all of you to take to heart; to remember always. Voldemort is just like us," the students let out a flurry of whispers, and she waited once again until they stopped. "The only difference between Voldemort and any other wizard is that he dares to use Dark Magic; magic all of us know not to use for any reason. For all purposes, Voldemort is just a hyped up persona of an annoyed boy by the name of Tom Riddle. A boy who could not stand to see someone better than him doing something he couldn't.

            "If you ever come to see Voldemort, do not let what he says faze you, because you will know from this day forward that he is just a scared little boy using a ominous name to strike fear into your heart. Don't ever fear that man, for there is no reason to.

"Have any of you stopped to think that maybe hhe is one of us? Just a slob or a stranger you could meet on the train? Well, he _is one of us; there is no difference._

            "And if any of you don't believe me, think back to my first year. Be strong, and go far in life." Ginny nodded her head in determination before stepping away from the podium. She smiled at Dumbledore, who gave her a wink before he stood to hand out their diplomas.

            Draco smiled from under the hood. She was right, in every aspect about Voldemort. He was just a scared little boy seeking vengeance for nothing.

He was awed, though, at the girls' poise and beauty on the stage. But something had been missing from her eyes, like a bit of the spark in her life had died out. Draco was about to turn away, to make his way to Dumbledores' office as he had originally come here for, when he saw it glint in the sunlight.

            She was wearing the necklace he had given her the last day they had ever spoken to one another. He watched it glint, until she reached up and clutched it like she was remembering something good.

            Ginny jumped a bit when she felt the cool hand on her flesh, but when she turned to look there was nothing there but her shoulder.

            "Meet me in the Astronomy Tower, after the second dance."

            The red head nodded, pretending she was agreeing with Dumbledores' words, holding her breath until she felt the hand being removed from her shoulder. How could a hand be that cold on such a warm day? And where had it come from?

            "Now, I do hope that the graduates enjoy their very last Hogwarts party tonight, as they will be going home or straight to jobs from here in just two days' time." Dumbledore bid everyone goodbye before the graduates cheered and made their way back into the school for the last time.

            Ginny stared off in confusion until her friends ambushed her. Her face lit up with a smile as she linked her arms around her friends' shoulders, and they hers'. "Can you believe we're graduated already?"

            A short brunette shook her head; "I don't want to believe it! I don't want to go out into the big, bad world! Ginny, they can't make me!" she whined like the child she wished she still was.

            "I know _exactly _what you mean, Joan. I want to be a scared, little Firstie again," Ginny replied with a laugh, then thought it over. "Well, maybe not a Firstie, but I would love to be here forever."

            Colin rolled his eyes, "but just think of all the magic we can do now without the Ministry getting their knickers in a bunch!"

            "With you Colin, the Ministry _needs_ it's knickers in a bunch," Ginny teased, "or is it you that keeps them bunched?"

            Colin blushed at the accusation, through true, "I will neither confirm nor deny the fact that the Ministry women and their future employees love me and my sexy body."

            Joan and Ginny snorted with laughter, together saying: "What sexy body?!"

            "I see how it is!" Colin disentangled himself from Ginnys' arm and walked in front of the girls. Turning to glare at the girls as they continued their laughter.

            Ginny shook her head as she walked into the building, taking a glance up at the Tower before she lost sight of it. She bid Joan a see you soon as the girl walked down the stairs to the Ravenclaw rooms before catching up with Colin. "What are you going to do for work?"

            "I've gotten an offer from the _Daily Prophet_ as a photographer. I might just take them up on it. I don't really know yet."

Ginny stared at him, "Colin! How could you pass up a job at the _Prophet!_ You've only been dreaming of working there since I can remember! You're going to take that job, Mister, or so help me!"

            "Ever think of going into politics, Gin? 'Cause you be really good at it."

            She was satisfied when she heard his muffled "ouch!" as she hit his arm. She went into her own room, pulling out her dress for the Graduation Ball, and hanging it up next to the steaming shower she turned on in the bathroom.

            She really didn't want to have to dress up for the occasion, so she and Joan had opted for simple dresses. Really she did love the dress she had picked out; she had loved it on sight. But it was Joans' convincing tone that made her purchase it with money she really didn't have to spare. The black, cocktail-style dress had been in the third store they had entered. All of the stores had decided formal wear was the way to go for the grads.

            "Gin?"

            "Vodka, if you don't mind!" she replied back, knowing Colin would open the door. "What's up?"

            "Just wanted to know when you're going to be ready?"

            Ginny took a seat at the vanity table put in there from a previous Head Girl, pulling her hair up, then letting some of it down. "Don't know, really," she turned to him. "What do you think? Up . . . or down?"

            Colin stared at her like she had another head. "Do I look like a guy that would know?"

            "Yes."

            He nodded, knowing her to be right. He put a hand under his chin in a thoughtful expression. "Halfway up, leave some pieces just flying about though."

            "And I ask again, are you sure you're not gay?"

            Colin rolled his eyes, flitting about the room before leaving in a huff of "oh posh!" in a girlish manner.

            Ginny laughed loudly as she turned back to the mirror. Her face looked different to her somehow. Like it had aged without her knowing. She was sure that she had aged, being almost eighteen now, but she didn't know she looked so mature until she took a good look at herself.

            She pulled her hair up into a half ponytail, wrapping a piece of hair about the band to hide it, before curling it into loose ringlets with a charm. Not bothering with make-up except some dark brown eye shadow and a bit of her chapstick, Ginny cupped her chin in her hand, staring at her reflection.

            "You made it this far, Virginia, you can make it the rest of the way." She knew the small pep talk wouldn't really work to make her feel better, but she needed to hear herself say it. "You can make it in the real world. If Ron can, you can certainly do it." She got up from the table, grabbing the dress from its hanger in the bathroom and turning off the water.

            Ginny slipped it carefully over her head, smoothing out the material with her hands. She slipped on the strappy, but low, black heels. Only when she felt situated did she look in the mirror. Confusion graced her eyes as the face looked back at her. It was like she was seeing the future, like she had finally grown up. 

The girl that looked back at her, hair red, curly, and secured so that it looked like she had thrown it up without a thought. Face barely touched because of natural beauty she didn't believe she had possessed, until he told her. Trim body from seven years of running about a grand castle, just a little curvy in the right areas, but not so much that she had the so-called "perfect figure;" because she would hate herself if she did. The black dress, scooping slightly at the neckline, sleeveless, and coming to her knees looked right on her. Like she was supposed to wear something so mature, so elegant - but at the same time not.

            Ginny walked down the stairs, keeping her balance by holding onto the railing, and smiled when she saw Colin. "Well, don't you just look spiffy."

            "Not too bad yourself, old mum," he teased before looping her arm through his and leading her out the portrait; they were meeting Joan at the stairs leading to the Ravenclaw commons.

            "Colin?"

            "Hm?"

            Ginny stared ahead of her, "do you think that when this is all over, we'll all still be friends? I mean, do you really think that we'll keep in contact?"

            Colin looked at her, "I _know_ that we'll keep in contact, Gin. Why? D'you think we won't?"

            Ginny shrugged her shoulders, smiling at the sight of the third Musketeer. "I don't really know, Col. I just don't know."

            "Don't know what?" Joan asked, looping her arm through Colins free one.

            "What are you going to be doing when you're twenty-five, Joan?"

            Joan thought about her friends' question, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I haven't really thought about it. Maybe starting a family with that special someone. Maybe in the middle of a career that I've always dreamed about. You can't really know, Gin, lives change from what we want them to be like. That's just the way it goes."

            "Yeah, Gin, you can't just think that life is going to end like they do in fairytales. All that "Happily Ever After" crap is just that: crap. You don't know what life is going to be like; that's what makes it fun! That's what makes it worth living."

            Ginny laughed, "y'know, I knew there was a reason you two were my best mates. Thanks; I really needed to hear that. Oh, what time is it?"

            "Almost eight, I believe. That's when the Ball is to start, and it looks like we arrived just in time!" Joan said it loudly, causing the seventh years to look their way. "We're free!" she was met with a loud roar of cheers, even from the Slytherins.

            Colin leaned towards Ginny, whispering, "and here I thought Raves were supposed quite."

            "You _obviously_ don't know me!" Joan said dramatically as she tugged them all over to a table. 

            Ginny watched the no-longer students interact. She watched her friends joke around, and wondered if the stupid jokes and pranks they had pulled would still be funny when they were older and looking back. She knew they probably would be, unless she turned into a hag that hated the world.

            "Gin, what's up?"

            She looked at Joan. Joan had been there for her ever since she saw Ginny crying after the last encounter with Draco in the potions room. She was the only one that knew anything of what happened last year, and would always be the only one to know.

            "I guess I'm just going be miss everyone. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, y'know. I'm not staying for the last night. I can't, not with the Scholars waiting for me."

            Joan wrapped an arm around her friends' shoulders. "Don't worry, Gin. They'll love to have you working for them. Though I don't see why you can't stay. I mean, isn't it just an meeting at two in the afternoon the same day everyone else is leaving here?"

            Ginny nodded, "but I don't want to turn up looking like I never went to sleep or anything like that. That wouldn't make the best impression on them, now would it?"

            "But you would fit right in with them! They all look like they need to catch up on at least four days of sleep whenever you see them," Colin piped in.

            Ginny pushed him lightly, "sod off, they do not." Joan and Colin gave each other knowing looks over the shorter girls' head. A look that clearly said: yeah right.

            "Gin!"

            She looked blankly up at her name, coming out of the dreamland she had been in for the moment.

            "We have to open the Ball, remember? Get off your bum!" Colin held out his hand to her, waiting just as everyone else was for her.

            Ginny placed her hand in his, looking around with her eyes. Who wanted to meet her? She met Colins' gaze, "I can only stay for the first two dances - let's make 'em count!"

            The sandy-blonde boy whispered the tune to Madam Hooch, who had taken charge of the Muggle music, and motioned for Ginny to follow him to the center of the dance floor.

            "What'd you tell her?"

            The whispered question received its answer when the first chords sounded in the Hall. Ginny grinned widely, and following the steps she had burned into her memory, placed her hand in Colins outstretched one and was twirled around quickly.

            Students watched in awe as the Heads kept up with the fast beat of the swing tune. Gasped when Colin hooked an arm under Ginnys curled knees and swung her around his body, her hair sweeping the floor in the process, to only toss her up a bit and catch her princess style.

            Joan could be heard clearly over the whistles, yells, and claps when the song ended: "Smashing! Absolutely fantastic, Gin, Colin!"

            Ginny calmed her breathing, smiling at the compliments. "Thanks, Jo. Now, one more dance, then I have to go. I know! - Don't say it."

            The brunette shut her mouth, sighing heavily to say what she could say with words, "alright."

            Flushed, Ginny pulled her two friends out to the dance floor again while a popular new band, Cackles, played the song that had made them a smashing success in Muggle and Magical England. And dancing like fools, they spent their last night together in Hogwarts' Hall as children.

~~*~~

            Her heels clicking softly as she went up the stone stairway, Ginny thought of the possibilities of who it might be. She hadn't seen anyone slip out of the Hall when she had, but then again, they could have gone when she was dancing.

            _Why did I even bother to come? It could have just been my imagination!_

            The door protested its hinges needing oil as she pushed it open. Looking around the moonlit room, she closed the door behind her as quietly as she could. The moon was shining bright that night, causing the moonscopes to sparkle. The very slight breeze made the curtains billow just so.

            "Hello?" her voice sounded far too loud in the silence, eerily almost.

            _God, Ginny, this is stupid. Just go back downstairs._

            "Anybody here?" she called just once more. She was once again met by the deafening sound of silence. It _had_ just been her imagination, then . . . Shaking her head at her own foolishness, she turned back around to open the door once more.

            Ginnys start of fright was loud in the quite tower. "Oh my God."

            "I'm afraid not," he replied with a slight smirk.

            She shook her head, exhaling loudly to calm herself. "I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't hear you come in."

            Severus Snape nodded, "as I assumed from your start. Might I ask what you are doing up here, Miss Weasley?"

            "Apparently confirming that I've gone completely out of my mind," she said idly, smiling just a bit. "I guess I should be off, I have some packing to do."

            Snape held the door open for her, walking down the stairs with the former student. "So the rumors of your leaving tomorrow are true, then?"

            Ginny nodded, "I have an meeting in two days with -"

            "- The Scholars, yes I heard. Congratulations on that; they are quite selective."

            "Thank you, sir," Ginny glanced at her former Professor. "But I think it was your letter of recommendation that made them want to meet me."      

            The surprised look on the Potions Masters' face was one Ginny would never forget; it was priceless. "I don't recall ever telling you I wrote one."

            She smiled, "I asked them why they decided to meet with me, after refusing me once already. They said that they received a letter from you, saying I was perfect for the job."

            Severus nodded, clasping his hands behind his back in his usual manner. "Well, this is where we shall part, Miss Weasley. I believe you have a visitor waiting outside your commons, so I won't bother you further."

            When she looked up in surprise, he was already gone. She still was amazed at his ability to just disappear or appear like that around the castle. Often wondered if he knew about secret passageways that no one else knew of.

            Ginny rounded the corner to her hallway, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing outside the portrait.

            "Bloody hell."

            "Actually, it's quite clean," he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well? Are you just going to stand there?"

            All she could do was nod. Ginnys' eyes swept over him quickly. He had grown just a bit taller, filled out some more, and his hair was now curling up just so at his shoulders. But his eyes were different; though sparkling with mischief, they were slightly empty. She knew the look only because it was the same her reflection had given her earlier that night.

            "What are you doing here?"

            "Reporting."

            She half-smiled; slowly gaining motor skills back from shock. "Still working both sides, eh?"

            Draco nodded solemnly, biting his tongue to keep silent.

            Ginny broke the gaze, sighing; "we can't talk out here in the open." She walked up to the portrait, smiling at the haughty looking woman.

            "_Bonjour, Virginia. __Qui est ceci?"_

            "_Il est bien. La lune," Ginny replied calmly._

            The woman looked down with disdain, staying closed. "_Seulement les éstudiants principaux ont laissé."_

            "_Il est bien, Mercedes! La lune," Ginny said more forcibly. Mercedes, scowling down at the girl, opened to the entrance of the Head dorms._

            "You speak French?"

            Ginny shrugged, "we have to with Mercedes. She was a gift from Madame Maxine, and does not want to speak a word of English." She didn't bother stopping in the sitting room, but continued on to her room.

            Draco stood near the doorway, watching her move about the room confidently and gracefully. He could see how much she had grown up in the year he was absent. It was evident in every thing she did, save her actions with her friends. He watched as she carefully folded and placed pants and skirts on one side of her trunk before making any noise.

            "Why are you packing?"

            Ginny stopped briefly, then folded the pant legs and placed them in the trunk. "I have to leave tomorrow, before everyone else. I have to be somewhere by two o'clock in two days."

            "And it's going to take you all night to get there?"

            She sighed, "no, Draco, it's not. I'm just getting ready . . . I don't want to have to pack at the last minute." Ginny placed a shirt in just as carefully, avoiding any eye contact with Draco, for she knew what would happen if she did.

            "Where are you going?"

            "I have a meeting." God. What was he asking irrelevant questions for?

            "For what?"

            She dropped the shirt she was holding into the space. "Why are you here, Draco? Why did you decide to stick around this time?"

            Draco stared at her curious and annoyed expression. "I told you. I -"

            "- Had a meeting with Dumbledore, yes, I know. But every other meeting with him has never prompted a stay. Why now?"

            The tired blonde closed his eyes, sighing, "because I was ordered to watch Severus. Voldemort thinks he's acting suspicious."  
            Her lips formed a thin line. "He's still alive, then?"

            "Unfortunately so, yes."

            She turned back to her clothes, placing them in her trunk haphazardly then. Shaking her head, she tossed more shirts into the trunk before placing her hand on the edges harshly. "He's never going to go away, is he? He's always going to be around, torturing innocents and acting as if he is completely devoid of a heart."

            Draco walked towards her, standing on her side. "Virginia . . ."

            "No, Draco, I don't want to hear the falsities. I don't want to hear that he's dying. I don't want to hear that he's planning an attack on the school again that will inevitably cause Dumbledore to fight him again."

            He stared at her in surprise. "Virginia, what are you talking about?" she didn't respond and only tightened her grip on the edge of her trunk. He lifted her head up to face his, "Virginia, what do you mean?"

            Ginny closed her eyes, taking in the feel of his hands on her face again. She opened her eyes to see just how close they were. "It's irrelevant, Draco. Disregard it . . ." her face free from his grasp, she took in his face. She reached up as if it were a normal motion and tucked a stray hair behind his ear.

            "Draco?"

            "Yes?"

            Ginny placed her arms around his waist, "I've missed you so much." She smiled into his chest when she felt his arms soon wrap around her shoulders.

            "I would have come sooner if -"

            "- I know. I know."

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

~~*~~

Yeah. So I've still got one more Hogwarts chapter left, then Ginny'll be gone off to the Scholars. Want to know who they are, don't you? Well, I'm not giving you any hints since I'm still deciding on what they should be and I'm pretty sure where I want them to be! All right, see you soon.


	9. Too Little, Too Late

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Nine: _Too Little, Too Late_

~~*~~

            She loved him holding her. She felt secure – like everything she was worrying about didn't matter, wasn't there to make her think about them.

            Draco looked down at the closed blue-green eyes of the girl. She hadn't grown much since he had last seen her, except in attitude. He knew he shouldn't be so close to her. The hurt of trying to get over his feelings for her would just last longer. Draco stepped away from her, causing her eyes to open questionably.

            "Finish getting packed. We can talk when you're done."

            Ginny nodded, turning back to the trunk. She snatched her wand from her duvet, charming undergarments from the dresser to the trunk as she shrank them. Thinking for a minute, she deduced that all of her clothes were in the trunk except for the clothes she'd need for the next two days. Books were next.

            "Oh! Can you go to the common room and grab the books on the table? It's the one closest to the fire."

            Draco looked at her slightly hopeful face before curtly nodding. He spotted the stack when he entered the room almost immediately, exactly where she said they would be. Glancing at the titles, he walked back to the red-carpeted stairs.

            _Red and gold everywhere. How utterly drab._

            Ginny looked up from the books she had just put carefully into the trunk, a smile adorning her face. "Thanks, Draco."

            "What are you doing?"

            She turned another upside down, shaking a paper loose from its pages. "I used detention slips as bookmarks sometimes, and I'd forget about them. I thought I would give them to Professor Dumbledore."

            Draco fetched up the paper that had fallen out, lifting an eyebrow when he turned it over. "Interesting detention slips they've got this year."

            Brow furrowed, she took it from his hands. "Oh" Ginny could feel her cheeks heating up. "I – uh – I just like the photo. It's . . ." she trailed off lamely.

            "It's very good. My, don't I look devilishly handsome!"

            Biting her lip to hide a smile, Ginny placed the photo in the top of her trunk, with the pictures of her family and friends as well.

            The look was not unnoticed. "Now what is so amusing, Virginia?"

            "Nothing," sounded squeaky from held-in laughter.

            He grabbed her wand hand, stopping the current spell. "What?"

            Ginny struggled with the smile. "Positively angelic."

            "Pardon me?"

            "Positively angelic. That's what you look like in the picture." The red head took her hand back and finished with the nights' packing finally. She lifted the heavy, wooden trunk from her bed and placed it back at the foot.

            "Angelic? Me?"

            She nodded.

            "Are you insane?"

            Nodded again.

            "You think that's angelic?"

            Another nod.

            "You're just nodding to everything, aren't you?"

            Nod, and a smile.

            "You're unbelievable . . ."

            Both jumped when loud music came from the black rectangle on her dresser, and Ginny rushed to turn it off.

            "Sorry. You must have said the song of the day. I charmed it to do that; keeps me interested." She laughed a bit at the stupidity of her stereo as she sat on the bed carefully.

            He didn't mention that there was no such charm to do that.

            "You _can sit down, y'know." She went about smoothing the dress, not wanting any more wrinkles in it. "This dress is annoying."_

            "You looked beautiful in it." He bit his tongue, yelling at himself.

            Ginny blushed as she sat in front of him. She cocked her head to the side, question on her face. "What'd you want to talk about?"

            He knew he shouldn't have. Knew it would just make things worse. Knew it could jeopardize his cover. He knew all of those things, but he still pulled her to him for a kiss he had known he shouldn't have given her.

            Ginny pulled back after her initial shock. "Draco?"

            "I'm sorry. I just –"

            She cut him off this time.

~~*~~

            Ginnys' eyes opened slowing to the sunlight coming through the window opposite her bed. Widened when she felt an arm tighten around her stomach.

            _Oh my God . . ._

            She turned carefully in the hold to face the man lying next to her.

            "Good morning."

            "Oh," she said shakily. "You've never talked in my dreams before . . . This isn't a dream, is it?"

            Draco smiled slightly. "No. But I'm happy to know you've dreamt about that, and this."

            She blushed, almost matching her hair at her confession. "Well – I – Oh sod off, Draco."

            He smiled a rare smile, one of the smiles she cherished because she knew how hard it was to earn one. "After last night, I don't think I'll ever want to sod off. Unless we can't repeat."

            Ginny put her forehead on his chest, hiding her face. "You're horrid, Draco. I can't believe you're joking about something like this."

            "Like what, Virginia?" he held a mischievous twinkle in his eye that she didn't see.

            "Draco!"

            Draco laughed, causing her to look up. "I'm only joking, Virginia."

            Ginny stared at him, liking the look of color in his cheeks; loving the feeling of lying next to him. Then the thought hit her that she was lying next to him naked, and instantly her modesty flared up again. "Draco . . . I've never done that before."

            _What was the point of the Virginia? Of course he could tell you've never done that before, you daft cow!_

            "However," Ginny saw his eyebrow quirk up at her. "I wouldn't mind repeating," she grinned at him, kissing his once more.

~~*~~

            She smiled happily as she walked to the main entrance of the castle; Draco was following her with the Elvish cloak covering him.

            "Ginny! You're leaving us, what the hell are you smiling about?" Joan yelled loudly, then held her head. Colin instantly began chastising her about how you shouldn't yell if you have a hangover.

            Ginny laughed at her friends. "I'm going to miss you guys so much."

            Colin hugged her, "we're going to miss you as well, Gin. Just remember to write, if they let you."

            "I'm not going to a prison, for that last time, Colin Creevey!" Ginny scolded before hugging Joan.

            Joan swung the girl around. "I'm going to come steal you away from them someday. You know that right? I'll just come and take you away without a word!"

            "Oh, yeah. That'll go over well. I'll write as much as I can, alright? And fire-message when I can."

Ginny sat down on her broom, getting ready to take off when she spotted him. She stepped off the broom, walking up to him. "Good-bye, Professor. And thank you, again."

            He nodded his head, "good-bye, Miss Weasley. Have a safe trip."

            "I will. May I ask one thing of you, Professor?" Ginny waited as he internally debated the question, then he nodded. "Will you do your best to stay off of his radar?"

            Severus Snape smiled the slight smile he was known to give from time to time. "Yes, Miss Weasley. I'm doing just that."

            Ginny nodded before walking back to her broom and shocked friends, then mounted up. "I'll be seeing you, okay?" They nodded as she took off. Ginny jumped a bit when she felt his hand on her back, then smiled. "Hogsmeade?" she knew her question didn't need to be answered. She flew the ten minutes it took to get to the small village before landing near the Shrieking Shack. Draco took the cloak off when they landed.

            "I'm going to miss you, Draco." She smiled sadly at him, wondering if she'd see him anytime soon.

            Draco nodded confirming her words. "Virginia . . . I – uh –"

            Ginny smiled, "I – uh, you too, Draco."

            He took a page from her book and rolled his eyes slightly. "I meant to say that I love you, _child._"

            She hugged him tightly, "I think you took care of the child part, you daft old man. But I've loved you for a long time now, and I'm sure that I still do."

            He looked down at her. "Do you wish I hadn't taken –"

            "– No, Draco. So don't even think that. But I have to leave now, I've got a long ways before I get where I'm going."

            Draco stepped away from her, "still not telling me where you're going?"

            Ginny sat on the broom, sighing. "Its not that I don't want to, Draco. I just can't." She kissed him one last time, then pulled away.

            "Goodbye, Virginia."

            She bit her lip; "I don't want to say goodbye . . . How about I'll see you around?"

            Draco nodded. "I'll see you around, then."

            Ginny smiled one last time, then lifted from the ground and flew off to the south. She hated having to leave him, and made sure that he was no longer able to see her before tears leaked from her eyes.

            "You've got some dedication in you, Virginia . . ." she told herself as she flew in the clouds to the Port Key they had told her of.

~~*~~

            She sat in the white room, the sunlight peaking through the blinds, lighting it to a soft brownish hue.

            "You're highly recommended to us, Miss Weasley. Why do you think that's so?"

            Ginny looked at the bearded man. "Honestly, Mr. Garlotte, I'm not sure why my Professor recommended me so highly. However, he obviously thought I was right for the job and that I could be an asset to you and your fellows."

            Mr. Garlotte smiled under his beard, he reminded Ginny of Hagrid slightly. Except this man wasn't half-giant. "Well, Miss Weasley, lets get you to the Scholars," he motioned for her to leave the room first, then stepped beside her. "They might have some questions, but it is unlikely that they don't already know the answer. Is there anything else I haven't mentioned?"

            She shook her head, "no, Sir. But thank you, very much."

            He ushered her into a room, shutting the door behind her to leave her alone.

            "Virginia Weasley, I presume?"

            Ginny nodded, glancing at the eight figures in the room. "Your presumption is correct."

            A black hair, fair skinned woman smiled. Leaning to the woman next to her, she said something that Ginny caught as "the girl is absolutely charming."

            "You understand what your job with us will be, correct?"

            "I'll be helping in the dig to find the bones of lost magical creatures, and with others of the research team, we will study when they were around and how they were extinguished. At least, that is what we hope to be able to accomplish," Ginny recited as calmly as she could manage.

            The man declined his head slightly, then looked to his fellows. Then he looked back at her, "you realize that anything that might hinder you in any way will result in your release from the program. We will allow you to continue research for us, but in your home."

            Ginny nodded. "Yes, I understand the stipulations of the job."

            "All right, Miss Weasley. You will be with Group five; they are at the north end of the dig site. Your house will be right on the edge of Magical Cairo. Please understand that we work very hard to make sure that the magic using people and non-magic peoples coexist without knowing that you are a witch, Miss Weasley. To any typical person, you will appear to be a normal archaeologist, and any digs you find of the magical nature must be reported immediately to one of us. Mr. Garlotte will explain the rest to you."

            "I understand, Sir. Thank you." She exited the room, seeing the man waiting for her outside the door immediately. "Mr. Garlotte –"

            "Thomas."

            Ginny continued, "Thomas, why must everything be kept so secret? I've heard from Professor Dumbledore that the Minister Fudge has no knowledge of this organization."

            Thomas nodded, "I'm afraid that your Minister of Magic was not fond of the idea. He found it to be frivolous and dismissed it without a cause. If not for the understanding of the Scholars, and the funding this program, no Britons would be a part of this organization."

            "Interesting."

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little, Too Late_

~~*~~

            Wee! Yes, well, interesting, wasn't it? I know it was a bit fast and sudden and all that shit, but it really wasn't for me. Because, if you think about it, she's loved him for two years now, as has he loved her, and it was kind of an inevitable thing that would happen. I just made it happen sooner than was to be expected.

Personally, I think this chapter bit the big one a bit, but that's just me and I'm going to be that way. Anywho, next chapter is going to be just a bit more of Ginnys Cairo time, and then it'll jump ahead. I'll make sure to let you on.

And another note: very sorry this chapter is so late. I have been incredibly busy as of late with work and school. I barely get the time to sleep and eat!


	10. The Wreckoning

Take A Deeper Look

~~*~~

Chapter Ten: _The Wreckoning_

~~*~~

            Ginny blocked the rising sphere with a darkened hand, squinting a bit. She loved the morning dew smell; it was rejuvenating, much better than coffee in her book. Drifting her sight to the left a bit, she looked longingly at the dig site she had to disperse from for the week.

            Upon hearing a small noise, Ginny went back into her flat. She laughed aloud when a small ball of a shape with hair every which way tumbled into the living room, emitting another small, pained noise.

            "What _are_ you doing, Tadpole?"

            The curly haired girl shoved hair from her face in annoyance, shrugging off the duvet she had tripped upon. "I fell."

            Ginny laughed again, picking up the cover. "Yes, I can see that. But you didn't answer my question."

            She looked up, "yes I did. You asked _What _are_ you doing, Tadpole?_ and I told you what I was doing – falling."

            Sweeping light red hair into a proper mess, Ginny mock scowled. "Don't copy my voice like that. It's creepy."

            "You're creepy," she teased in a sarcastic voice.

            "Your mums' creepy," Ginny teased back.

            "You're a mum!"

            Ginny smiled, "how else would you explain the nine months you were in me?"

            The younger carbon copy scrunched up her face, sticking out her tongue. "Ewwy!"

            Ginny laughed once more before managing a, "go get dressed," as she shrunk the already packed bags. She checked around the flat as if she had left something to do or hadn't locked a window.

            "Mum?" Ginny turned towards the small voice, face contorted in question. "Where are we going? Is Dad coming?"

            "No, Tadpole, he's not going to be coming, he's busy with the work. But you and I are going somewhere special; then back to the Burrow for Uncle Rons' wedding." Ginny smiled at the thought of Ron getting married. She would never peg him as the marrying type, maybe because for the longest time he wasn't. But he, with help from Harry and a Freezing Spell, had finally found the right time to propose to Hermione when she found the ring box next to their strewn about papers from him running into her.

            "What's the somewhere?"

            Ginny grabbed her daughters' hand, holding it tight, "it's a surprise." And with a _pop!_ the two were gone.

~~*~~

            "Virginia!"

            Ginny turned around quickly, a smile on her face. "Awthawae!"

            The Elfish woman gave her friend a tight hug. "It's been too long."

            "Terribly so, don't you think?" Ginny felt a slight tug on her pant leg, causing her to look down.

            "Mum?"

            Awthawae looked down in awe. "She's beautiful, Virginia. How old is she now?"

            "I'm seven!" she said confidently, staring at the pointy tips of Awthawaes' ears.

            Ginny smiled. "That's partly why I'm here. I was wondering if Lohelm would Bless her as he did me."

            Awthawaes' face darkened. "I'm afraid my father had taken quite ill; we can see no chance of recovery. There has already been a coronation ceremony held for me at my fathers' wishes."

            "I would say congratulations if not for the unhappy terms. Might I see him later?"

            The blonde elf led them thought the village, "you shall. And I will Bless her, Virginia, as my father Blessed you. I dare say he would be quite furious if I did not."

            Ginny smiled, watching her daughter stare in awe of the village. It was just how she had looked when she first visited. She greeted those she knew; smiled to ones she didn't.

"Tadpole," her astonished daughter tore her eyes from the elvish children playing. "You'll have to go with Awthawae now. D'you remember how I told you of my Blessing?" she nodded. "This is your turn. Do not be afraid."

Awthawae smiled, taking the child's hand. "My father is in his quarters. Why not visit him while I am performing the ceremony?"

            "Alright," Ginny waited until the door shut to go through the familiar castles' corridors to Lohelms' room. Guards stopped her only briefly when entering.

            "Virginia," the pale, old elf smiled up at her from his bed.

            Ginny curtsied as per usual, then sat on his bedside. "How do you feel, Lohelm?"

            "Half as bad as he does, I'm sure," he replied weakly.

            She nodded in understanding. "I wish it didn't have to be this way. Two great men should not have to die for the world to be rid of one evil."

            "Ah, but this is the safest way, my dear Virginia. We knew what we were doing when it was decided seven years ago."

Ginny looked out the windowless openings. "I supposed you're right . . . I know you're right. But I just wish you would tell your people why you are ill. They deserve to know."

            Lohelm smiled at his Blessed child. "I will do no such thing. I won't stand for my people acting better than others because of our sacrifice. That is not why we are doing this. We are doing this to save many generations of people from the pain we have had to endure. We are doing this so children, like your daughter, can live without fear."

            "How did you know I had a daughter?" she gave him a sly look, smiling slightly.

            The elf laughed, "there is not much in the lives of my Blessed that I do not know of, my dear."

            Ginny nodded, "would you like to meet her? She's heard many stories from me about you and your family."

            "As a dying mans' wish, I would love to see her, Virginia."

            And though it pained her to hear it, Ginny smiled once more, holding the mans hand comfortingly. They sat in a still silence, until it was broken by a small, familiar voice. She turned to her daughters' grinning face as she gave a wobbly curtsey, then stepped up to the bedside.

            "Hello."

            Lohelm smiled, "hello, my dear." His eyes trailed to Ginny briefly, "she's lovely, Virginia."

            "That's what everyone says! Why can't I just be _smashing_ or something like that?" the girl grinned at her mothers' slight glare.

            "How did you enjoy the ceremony?"

            Eyes bright, she started to describe what it had been like - quite emphatically.

~~*~~

            Ginny looked up at the lopsided house she had grown up in. It seemed quieter now that just her parents lived there; but she knew it would get louder in just a few minutes. She stepped up to the porch, opening the front door quietly.

            "Mum?"

            Ginny looked down at her daughter, signaling her to stay quiet with a finger to her lips. She walked into the all too familiar kitchen, spotting her mother standing at the head of the table next to her aged father. Her brothers surrounding the table, Harry included. It was almost like the scene she had ran in on when she was eleven.

            "I feel like I should be asking you where my jumper is, mum," Ginny smiled as she caused everyone to jump in surprise.

            "Ginny!" Ron exclaimed first, jumping from his seat to hug his little sister. "I thought you said you couldn't come!"

            She smacked his arm, "d'you honestly think I would miss my brothers wedding?" Before Ron could answer, the rest of her family bombarded her.

            "Look at you, Virginia, you're absolutely thin! Are you not getting enough food? D'you need any money to help you along?" Molly Weasley instantly started fussing over her daughter.

            Ginny laughed, "I'm fine, Mum. I get enough money in Egypt, don't worry. Food just isn't as heavy there as it is in England. Speaking of which, I brought you some recipes you'll just love."

            "Ginny!" she heard the familiar voice from behind her.

            "Hermione – congratulations!" the red head hugged her soon to be sister-in-law. "How have you been?"

            Hermione ginned, "fantastic. By the way, does she belong to you?"

            Ginny looked at her daughter, who must have backed towards the fireplace in the living room when her mother had been bombarded from slight fright. "C'mere, Tadpole," she picked her up when she approached, "everyone, this is my daughter."

            "I really know how to quite a room, don't I, Mum?" she whispered into her mothers ear.

            Molly looked as if she were going to faint, but Arthur held her up. "You – You have a daughter?"

            Ginny nodded, biting her lip, grinning like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I guess I never mentioned it?"  
  


            Ron stared, fish-mouthed. "You have a daughter? Since when!?"

            "Since seven years ago, Ron," Ginny sighed with annoyance. "Look, if you're just going to stand there, staring like fish, then we'll just go back to Egypt."

            Harry smiled at the little girl, "what's her name?"

            Ginny inwardly sighed, thanking Harry for his words. "Her name is Abigail, but she likes to be called Abby."

            "Hi!" everyone but Ginny jumped a bit again when Abby made her exclamation. Her eyes focused on Fred and George, "which one is which?"

            Fred blinked once, "I'm George, that's Fred."

            Abby smirked, eyes narrow, "no you're not! You're Fred and he's George, right Mum?"

            Ginny laughed, "right . . . She's seen many pictures of you two, she's probably the only one of us that can truly tell you two apart." She started pointing people out, though she knew Abby already recognized them all. "That's Bill, Harry, Charlie, Ron and Hermione, Fred and George, and of course the lovable Percy in the back there. Your Grandmum and Grandfather, right there."

            Molly's eyes instantly watered, "oh, I'm a Grandmum . . . Where's her father?"

            "He couldn't make it," Ginny put on an apologetic face, glancing at her daughter who was smiling knowingly. "But I'm going to put our stuff in my old room, if it's still mine."

            "Of course it is, Ginny!" Molly exclaimed as if she had been offended. "Come straight back down, you two must be famished!"

            Ginny nodded as she walked away, rolling her eyes. _Yes, because Apparating makes you _so_ hungry!_ She walked the familiar creaky stairway, pointing out pictures to Abby and answering her questions. "What do you think of them, Tadpole?"

            "I like them, Mummy. They're funny!" she replied ecstatically. "Can we talk to them more? I wanna talk to them more!"

            She laughed, putting her things on the floor near her old desk. "We'll go back down there as soon as our things are unpacked," enlarging the bags, and turning to open her closet.

            "Mum?"

            Ginny turned to her daughter, "yeah?"

            Abby looked up with big, curious eyes, "never mind. I forgot what I was going to ask."

            Giving her a curious look, Ginny reached into her bag, only to find it empty. She looked quickly up at the closet – all her clothes were hanging in a neat row on hangers. "Abigail! What did I tell you?"

            Abby put on an innocent look. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mum."

            "Abby . . ."

            "Okay. You said not to do that because you didn't know if the Ministry here would catch me. I know, Mum."

            She smiled sadly, "I just don't want to lose you, Tadpole. They'd take you away if they knew what you could do. I have no doubts about that. Speaking of which, how would you like to visit Hogwarts with me tomorrow?"

            "Can I?" her eyes lit up with her smile; she was jumping around happily now. "Yay! I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts!"

            Ginny walked back downstairs with the still bouncy child beside her, who was repeating her phrase over and over again. "Tadpole."

            Abby pouted briefly before smiling at the still shocked occupants of the kitchen. "Hi!"

            Once again, they jumped with surprise. Molly watched as the small girl walked over to her, them promptly climbed into her lap and sat down.

            Ginny wrapped her arms around her torso, smiling at the look her mothers' face held. Abby had that way with people; they just couldn't help but like her, causing her to be friends with her coworkers children easily.

"How has work been?"

            She turned her attention to Hermione. "Smashing. It's definitely knackering, but rewarding."

            Hermione looked very interested. "What, exactly, do you do?"

            "We're not allowed to say. But I can say that Tadpole there is already in the history books."

            Abby grinned, "Mum is too! I helped her in finding a new creature – I had lots of fun!"

            Ginny nodded, "that was almost a year ago. We're still trying to categorize it and find more of its species. So far, however, we haven't had any luck. It's almost as if it was the only one of its kind."

            "How is that possible?" Charlie tilted his head to the side like he did when confused.

            "For all intents and purposes, it isn't. But as of right now, it's just going to have to be."

            Abby then decided she had had enough of that subject of conversation. "Do I have to wear a dress?"

            Ron looked to Hermione, who looked a bit perplexed. "I suppose so . . ." he answered carefully.

            Abby stuck out her tongue, "yucky."

            "If I have to, you have to, Abby," Ginny winked at her daughter.

            Crossing her arms, she huffed a "fine." Then she hopped off Mollys' lap and made her way to Ron and Harry. They looked at each other, then down at her. "Will you teach me to fly, please?"

            Ron looked up at his sister, who held her hands up in surrender. "I taught her – don't give me that look. She wants to fly like a Quidditch player."

            "Please!" Abbys' voice turned to pleading.

            Hermione smiled, shooing all the boys out. "Go on. All of you can play. We'll discuss wedding stuff."

            "Yes!"

            "If she falls off I'm killing _you_ Harry!" Ginny warned, pointing a finger at Harry.

            Harry turned, confused, "why me?"

            "Because you're the Seeker in the house," she replied as Abby laughed and pulled Harry out the door. Ginny then turned to her mother and Hermoine. "So what can I help with?"

            Hermione went through a mental checklist. "Everything is ready for us. Except for how many people are attending and who is going to sit where."

            "Don't put Fred by George," all three laughed at the comment. "Guess I came at just the right time – no planning left! Go me," she grinned cheekily.

            Molly had her head facing the window, watching her children teach her only grandchild. "Why didn't you tell us about her sooner?"

            "I couldn't."

            The now gray-haired woman looked at her daughter, who was so alike to her in appearances; so different in attitude. "Why?"

            Ginny sighed, "everything that happens in Egypt, stays in Egypt unless the Scholars say so. Abby was one of those things; she's special to them. I don't know what it is, but she had a strange ability to move things without touching them."

            "Telekinesis?" Hermione looked at her red head soon sister-in-law.

            "Not exactly. It's a form, I suppose. But she can call for something with her mind, and it will dematerialize from its spot and materialize in her hands. She can also put things where she wants them to go," Ginny put her chin in her hand. "It's strange. I don't want her to use it here in England though, the Ministry might catch it."

            Hermione looked out the window. "What else can she do?"

            "I'm not sure. I know that when I was pregnant with her, I managed to fall into the quarry where we were digging, and the wound was fixed to the point where I wouldn't bleed to death. The Scholars don't even know what she can do; they love her just the same, she weaseled her way into their hearts."

            Molly smiled, "that sounds like you. Everyone just adored you when you were her age."

            She looked out the window to see Abby snatch the slowed down golden orb, laughing at the shocked face of Harry. "I feel sorry for Harry. I know she's much better than he thought she was."

            "Talented kid," Hermione mused.

            Ginny shook her head, "not so much talented as good at things. We stumbled across those bones on accident when we were playing tag. And Quidditch playing is in her blood."

            "Too bad you never joined the school team for long, though, Ginny. You were just wonderful on the broom," Molly stood up from her seat and opened the door. "I think I'll go watch the game."

             Hermione nodded, standing up to join her. They looked at Ginny expectantly; who summoned her old broom with a grin.

            The three women walked out into the backyard, Abby cheering when she saw her mother fly up. "Mum! I caught the Snitch!"

            "I saw. She's good, isn't she, Harry?" Ginny smirked slightly, stealing the Quaffel from Ron. She tossed it lightly into the makeshift goal posts, scoring past a rusty Bill.

            Abby watched from above the rest of the players for the slow Snitch, Harry not too far from her. She liked playing Quidditch; it was fun and her mum always said it was in her blood. She once again wondered if she meant her father, then spotted the Snitch and shot after it before Harry registered what she was doing.

~~*~~

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little Too Late_

Boomkats – _The Wreckoning_

~~*~~

            Shaboobie! Yeah, so this chapter was kind of pointless and . . . yeah. But I figured some explanation was needed to keep you guys from being all "what the hell?" when Abby just kind of popped up in the story. Now you know. Yeah-Huh. I'm going now.


	11. My Immortal

**Take A Deeper Look**

Chapter Eleven: _My Immortal_

"Tadpole, are you ready to go yet?" her voice echoed through the crazy house to be answered by the thumping of footsteps running down the steps. "Better hurry or I'm going to leave you!"

Abby jumped into view, out of breath and smiling. "I'm ready!"

Ginny stared down at her, "Where on earth did you get that?"

She grinned, "Grandmum kept all your old uniforms - she shrunk this one down for me! Are we going now?"

The elder held out the flowerpot, "now, just toss this into the fire and yell out Hogwarts Hall. Make sure to keep your elbows in and close your eyes, because you don't want to get sick. Say it loud and clear, because you could end up in some strangers' house."

Abby nodded, pinching some out and tossing it into the fire to erupt it with green flames. She surveyed it before stepping inside and yelling loudly, "Hogwarts Hall!" Ginny watched her disappear before pinching some Floo for herself and disappearing as well.

The small girl brushed soot from the shrunken uniform, shaking it out of her hair before looking around. She heard her mother drop in behind her, but didn't turn around. "Wow! It's huge!"

Ginny laughed, motioning for her to follow. "Makes you feel tinier than you are, doesn't it?" Abby nodded, looking around some more. "Don't worry though, after seven years it doesn't seem all that big and scary anymore."

"D'you mean I can go to school here, Mum?"

With a sly smile, "we'll see, Tadpole. But you still have four more years to wait, so don't get all excited."

Abby poked her finger through a passing ghost quickly as they went up the stairs, and then pulled it out with a gasp. "Mum!"

Ginny looked back, laughing at her stuck daughter. "Trick step. You have to be careful in Hogwarts; there are all sorts of things that you don't see right away. The staircase is about to move, just hold onto my hand."

Abbys' eyes widened as she squeezed her mothers' hand when the staircase started to move slowly. "Creepy!"

"It can be. But after awhile, you start to know when they are going to change. C'mon," Ginny knocked on the nearest door before entering. "Hello?"

A withered face, half-covered by reading spectacles, poked her face from the door behind a large oaken desk. "Why, Virginia Weasley! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Professor Dumbledore," Ginny answered as she gave the woman a slight hug. "How has he been, Professor McGonagall?"

She pursed her lips, leading the way towards Albus Dumbledore's office. "Not well, I'm afraid. I don't think he'll recover from this one."

"No, I suppose not," Ginny sighed, then smiled when Abby gasped at the moving stairway up to the Headmasters office. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall," she pulled Abby into the large office, with the theme of astronomy objects from every corner of the earth.

"Ms. Weasley," Dumbledore smiled warmly when he saw Ginny. Then he focused on Abby, "and Miss Weasley."

Abby looked up at the man, "wow. That's a big beard."

Ginny poked at Abbys' side, "be polite, Abby. Professor Dumbledore, this is Abigail, but I'm sure you knew that already."

He nodded slightly, "I heard you visited Lohelm?"

"Yes. And he's in just about the same state as you are. I would take it that the spell works."

"I had no doubts that it wouldn't," Dumbledore replied in a low voice. "How have you been in Egypt?"

Ginny took the seat next to his bed, "I've been great, it's absolutely lovely there. Abby loves it to pieces, but I think she's got a crush on the school now."

"As do most people who enters its hallways. However, I must implore that you do not mention our conversation to anyone. I do not want to worry those in the school."

She nodded, "Lohelm asked the same of me at the village. Abby and I know better than to tell."

Dumbledore smiled at the girl, who was playing with one of the instruments for watching stars on his desk. "What is it you wanted to ask about her, Ms. Weasley?"

Ginny followed his gaze, and then turned back to the man. "She's got a strange ability; almost like telekinesis. I'm not sure what it is, and I'm not sure what to do about it."

Hmm-ing, the man nodded as if he knew something. "How does it function?"

"Right now all she can do is manipulate things. When she was in the womb, she could heal all of my injuries, no matter how serious. Abby!"

The red head jumped, almost knocking over the instrument. "Yeah, mum?"

"Show Professor Dumbledore what you can do; it's okay here."

Abby nodded, and then looked around the room, spotting the raggedy old hat her mother had spoken of before. "Sorting Hat," she put out her hand, and not seconds later, it was in her hands.

"Thank you, Tadpole. You can put it back now." Abby nodded her head a bit, causing the Hat to pop back into its proper place atop the bookshelves.

"I see what you mean . . ." Dumbledore looked as if he were in deep thought. "I wish I could give you an answer, Ms. Weasley, but there has never been a case of magic such as hers' in history. to my knowledge."

Ginny sighed, "I figured as much, but I wanted your opinion in any case. However, we'll be going so you can get your rest."

Dumbledore smiled, "why don't you and Abigail explore the castle a bit before you leave?"

She nodded at the doorway; "we'll do that. Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore."

"Goodbye, Ms. Weasley, and Miss Weasley."

"Bye!" Abby waved as she left with her mother, and then smiled up at her. "I like him, he's nice. Sad what is happening to him, though. Just like Lohelm."

Ginny bit her bottom lip; "I know just what you mean, Tadpole." She walked with her daughter through the empty hallways, nodding hello to many of the portraits. Everything seemed just as it had when she had left. Like no time had really passed, but Ginny knew much had.

Abby poked her head into a classroom, and then pulled it back out. "Mum?" Ginny focused on her. She pointed towards a large room, and slipped through the doorway, followed closely by her mother. "What is this place?"

"It's where Potions class is held, taught by Professor Snape," Ginny answered as she ran her finger lightly over the labels of the ingredients. "This is the class that everyone who wasn't in Slytherin disliked greatly."

Abby looked up, "even you?"

"I didn't in my first few years, but then I grew to really love it. It's a great class to take, but more often than not, it's just take it for granted." Ginny turned around, but Abby was no longer in the room. Heart quickening, she opened the door to the room and looked down the hall. "Abby!"

But Abby was already up the stairs, following a ghost that had introduced himself as Peeves. She had struck up a conversation and thought he was nice - for a dead guy. Watching the portraits follow her with their eyes and whispers, she stuck her tongue out at some. "Where are we going, Peeves?"

"It's a surprise. D'you like surprises?"

Abby nodded a smile on her face. She had heard of Peeves from her mother, but now couldn't believe all the horrid stories she had heard. "I love surprises. This week has been full of them!"

"Peeves!" the poltergeist stopped mid-air and turned towards the voice. "What are you doing?" Peeves zoomed out of sight before he could get in trouble.

Abby turned to the voice, her hands on her slim hips. "That wasn't nice! He was going to take me to a surprise!"

"Yeah, probably nice fifty yard drop. What are you doing here, kid?"

She stared at him; "I came to see Professor Dumbledore. He's sick. Who are you?"

He gave her the same stare he was receiving from her. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Who're you?"

She opened her mouth to say her name, but was cut off by an echoing shout of "_Abigail!" _Her eyes widened, and she waved before running towards the stairs she had walked up. "I'm right here!"

Ginny ran up the stairs, kneeling in front of her daughter. "Where did you go? Didn't I tell you not to run off?"

"I'm sorry. I was just walking with Peeves, he said he had a surprise for me!" she looked apologetic.

Rolling her eyes, she stood back up. "Knowing Peeves, it was probably a fifty yard drop."

Abby grinned, then pointed to Draco. "That's what he told me!"

Ginny looked up, meeting eyes with him, standing there in shock, "bloody hell." How was it possible he could look even better than she remembered?

"I think we've already had that conversation," he added once he snapped out of his stupor.

Abby looked between the two, confusion on her face. Then it seemed to strike her. "Hey! Isn't that the –"

Ginny covered her daughters' mouth, making sure she knew not to say anything. "What are you still doing here?"

Draco quirked an eyebrow at the girls' antics, "I took over for Snape when he retired."

_No wonder the Potions room seemed different,_ she thought briefly. "Head of Slytherin as well?"

He nodded, walking towards her. "What are you doing here? Are you with her?" he looked down at Abby, then back at Ginny. There was an odd likeness.

"I came to see Professor Dumbledore; I needed to talk to him. And yes, I'm here with her." Ginny sighed inwardly, calming herself outwardly; she had not expected to see him here.

Draco looked her over as she dropped her gaze to the girl. She had darker skin, probably from all the sun she got where she was; he still didn't know where she had gone. "What are you doing back in England?"

Ginny focused on the figure standing a yard from her. "Ron is finally getting married, I came back for that. And Abby needed to be Blessed by Awthawae."

"Getting closer to the end, aren't you?"

She raised an eyebrow in question. "End of what?"

"Your list."

Realization flooded into her eyes. "I can't believe you remember that . . . Yes, I suppose I am. How have you been?" the double meaning was caught by both.

"I've had better days, but with Voldemort dying, things have become much easier. The spell seems to be working."

Ginny struggled with the look of shock that hit her face again. "How d'you know about that?"

He smirked that all-to-familiar smirk. "I was the one that found the spell. It was lost in one of the many books in the library."

"You're funny!" Abby caught both adults' attention, and earned a glare from her mother. "Why don't you just hug her already?"

Draco smirked an almost smile, and then looked at the slightly red Virginia. But without knowing how, he was moved towards her, his arms going around Virginias' shoulders.

Ginny rolled her eyes as her arms were put around Dracos' waist. "Abby, what did I tell you?"

Abby sighed, "You said, _"Now, when we're in England, I don't want you to use your gifts. I don't want to tip the Ministry off about them."_ Did I miss anything?"

Draco stared down at Virginia in confusion, "that's a freaky little gift."

Ginny put her head on his chest unconsciously, "you're telling me. She does that to me all the time when I am trying to reprimand her."

"She's yours?"

Ginny nodded, not looking at him. "Abigail is her name."

He pushed her away from his body to look at her. "You have a daughter?"

"No, Draco, she's just a girl that looks oddly like me," she answered sarcastically, stepping away from his completely. "Yes, I have a daughter." Something akin to regret and anger flashed through the gray eyes she loved. "Tadpole, why don't you go explore some more? Stay away from Peeves! If you must, ask Sir Nicholas to show you back here." But Abby was gone before she had finished her sentence.

Draco watched the girl run off down the hall. "She looks just like you with that uniform on."

"She has more of her fathers' spirit than mine, though," Ginny replied as she watched her daughter laughed at the portraits. "Draco, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She smiled, "you always were a horrid liar to me."

Draco glared half-heartedly, "Why did you have to leave?"

Her eyes softened, "Draco, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn't want to be one of those people that grew up regretting that they never took a really good opportunity when it was right there."

"Like me?"

She smiled a bit, "what are you talking about?"

"I let you go too easily."

"Draco, Voldemort would have found you eventually and killed us if I had stayed or you had come with me. You know that as well as I do," she hated saying that. Hated herself for even thinking of the fact.

Draco nodded slowly, "I know." He stared at her face leaning down to her slowly; pressing his lips to hers, as he once again knew he probably shouldn't. But when she didn't object, he brushed the thought aside.

Ginny finally got her wits about her, pulling back quickly. "No, Draco, I can't . . . I have to go," she ran ahead to where Abby was waiting around the corner, but called back quietly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"This dress is ugly, Mum!" Abby faced mimicked her mothers' exactly.

Ginny sighed, "It's a curse, I say. Every woman's dress is always frighteningly horrendous except the brides'," she looked down at her daughter. "But not a word to Hermione, she thinks these pieces of fabric are lovely."

"Alright . . ." Abby lifted a piece of lace up from the dress, and then dropped it again.

Hermione swept into the room with a nervous, but bright, smile. "You two look lovely!"

"You look fantastic, Hermione!" Ginny said loudly over her daughters' mutters. "Is it almost time, then?" The excited bride nodded just as her father popped his head into the room.

Mr. Granger handed the basket of flowers his wife had sent him up with to a still fake-smiling Abby. Then he helped Hermoine down the stairs so the silky white material wasn't misstep upon and causing a trip.

Ginny was laughing on the inside at the feeling her older brother must be feeling as they entered the backyard-made-church.

She fell backwards onto her old bed, bouncing a bit before coming to a rest. Eyes closed, she lay still as a second pair of footsteps entered her ears. "Tadpole?"

"I should think not."

Ginny sat up quickly causing a slight head rush, "Draco!"

The blonde sat down on the bed, shifting to face her, "Hello to you as well, Virginia."

She stared openly, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you. You left abruptly for the second time yesterday," his lips formed a thin line at the statement.

Ginny closed the door and soundproofed the room with the correct spells to allow for privacy. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Are you staying in England?"

_Way to get right to the point._ She shook her head; "Abby and I leave in less than a day." She looked up to his face searchingly, "Draco, why did you come here? This is only going to make it harder on both of us."

"I needed to, Virginia," he searched for the right words. "I suppose I just needed to see you one last time."

Ginny's eyebrows scrunched together. "What are you talking about? I'm going to visiting more often. It's not too difficult to visit Hogwarts as well." What was she doing? She just told him that visiting right then was just going to make it harder! She unconsciously bit her lower lip.

"Don't," he caught her confused look. "I don't want to see you, Virginia; don't visit." Ginny's mouth opened in shock as he stood, making objecting noises. "I don't want to see you with your husband while I'm still in love with you."

She caught his arm when she stood quickly. "And you think I'm not? Gods, Draco, haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Figured _what_ our yet?" his voice came out reminiscent of the voice she hadn't heard since before her sixth year.

Her eyes flashed slightly. "I have never loved anyone else like I love you. I know I never will," she let his arm go roughly, and just as he was Apparating, she spoke again. "And you're the only one I've made love to, Draco."

Draco didn't know if he had heard her right. At the moment, he was only thinking of how he had just lost her again. He could always go back, but he knew she would be gone by then, angered by his words.

And like it mattered if he had really heard her correctly. Sure he could be the only man she had ever made love to, but that didn't mean she hadn't had sex with other men whilst she was away at her job.

In fact, he assumed that she would. And had.

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little Too Late_

Boomkats – _The Wreckoning_

Evanescence – _My Immortal_

I'm so, so sorry that I haven't updated this in a year . . . Holy shit. I kind of lost my way in writing, and then I stressed about getting into University – I did and it's stressful!

A lot has happened in this past year – all of it involving the male gender. And then I got a serious boyfriend (dating a year! Yay!)

But a really big sad point in this past year that I've been gone is that my favorite person in the entire world died in January of 2005 . . . My Dad. It crushed me and I think writing is going to help me recuperate a little bit more.

Well, I should have the next installment as soon as I can, hopefully within the next week.


	12. Good Life

**Take a Deeper Look**

Chapter Thirteen: _Good Life_

Abigail's eyes were wide as she stared up at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. She felt vulnerable standing up there in front of the entire of school like a first year. Her eyes swept over the tables holding all the students, lifting her chin in a slight greeting to Ewan, who mimicked her just as slyly. Abby turned around a bit to glance at the professors whom she would be bothering that year. She caught the smile of Minerva McGonagall, who was looking older in the ten-year absence of seeing her.

"Dear, come forward please. We'll take care of you first so you don't have to stand up here." Minerva said softly, motioning toward the stool with a withered hand.

Abby turned her head away just as she was about to take in the last few people sitting at the table, a blonde man and a very scruffy man she knew was Hagrid. "Alright, thank you," she sat down on the stool, laughing inwardly as the tiny little man, whom she assumed was Professor Flitwick, had to charm the hat up to her head.

"_Ah, yes, I remember you. You moved me with your mind those ten years ago, did you not? Hm . . . well you're an interesting combination, Miss Weasley. Interesting indeed. Well, what shall it be, then, hm? I think you'll do well in _GRYFFINDOR!"

Abby smiled brightly as she jumped off the stool, handing the hat back to the small professor and made her way to the Gryffindor table. She sat next to a boy who had scooted down the bench to allow her presence among the other seventh years.

"I'm Greg," he said with a welcoming smile, "these are my mates, Sam and Jamila."

Abby smiled at the girl, noting her black hair and dark skin, "Egyptian, are you?"

Jamila nodded, "how'd you know?"

"I've lived in Cairo my entire life," Abby said proudly, "I'm Abigail, by the way, but you can just call me Abby."

Jamila leaned forward on the table, "you did? Wow! I moved here just before I entered first year, I was so lonely!"

"And missing all the sunshine and warm weather?"

"Terribly!"

The two girls laughed, Abby happy that she had made a fast friend in the Egyptian girl. She turned her words to the boys, "d'you boys play Quidditch?"

"I'm the Keeper," Sam said through a mouthful of food. "Jamila is Chaser."

Abby laughed, "You're just like Uncle Ron, never could resist talking with food in his mouth."

Sam smiled sheepishly, "sorry."

Abby waved her hand in a dismissive manner, used to the manners, or lack thereof, of men. "So who is going to help me cause trouble this year?" Jamila, Sam and Greg all raised their hands swiftly. "Smashing! I'll get a hold of Fred and George straight away!"

"Fred and George _Weasley_? You know them?" Greg looked at her with wide eyes.

Abby took a strand of her hair into her fingers, "notice the family resemblance? They're my uncles. And they are dying to help me cause havoc in the halls of Hogwarts once again!" she flushed red a bit when her voiced echoed around the hall a bit at the end of her sentence.

"Oi, Gryff! Quiet up over there!"

Abby turned around, spotting Ewan giving her a challenging look. "Quiet up yourself, Ewan!" she threw a piece of treacle at him, clocking him on the forehead. Ewan picked up the treacle, sniffing it cautiously, then plopped it into his mouth mumbling a thanks that sent her into a fit laughter.

Greg pointed between the two, looking confused. "So . . . did we _miss_ something?"

"Ewan is my friend," she saw their disbelieving looks. "He's the nephew of my mums' best friend, and they live next door to our place. He's a great guy; honestly don't know _how_ he got into Slytherin!"

Jamila grinned, "He is a right gent, boys."

Abby lifted an eyebrow in a questioning, and in an _I told you so _manner. "How d'you know Ewan is a right gent, Jamila?"

Jamila looked as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and her cheeks, if she had been paler, would have shown traces of red. "He trained me in secret two years ago for Quidditch."

"So that's how you got so good!" Sam said in surprise, and then looked slightly offended. "And here I thought it was my tips!"

"No! They helped too, Sam!" Jamila quickly recovered, then rolled her eyes at Abby with a half-smile. They settled back into friendly chatter before the night finally came to a close and with Abby and Jamila leaning on each other from drowsiness, they made their way up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower.

Abby yawned widely as she made her way to the common room the next morning, glad to know it was a Saturday and she would have time to just sit around and get to know her new friends better.

"Abs, this just came for you," Jamila dropped the parchment into her lap, and then flopped gracefully as she could into the cushy armchair across from the redhead. "What's it say?"

Abby turned the parchment over, materializing a quill under the coffee table as if it had been there the whole time. "Ewan wants to know if we, I can only assume he means the four of us, want to hang out with him and his mates today."

"His mates?" Jamila didn't sound so sure of herself as she had last night.

"Don't worry, they're harmless. Besides, they all know I'll set Ewan on them if they do anything wrong."

"You're setting a Slytherin on whom now?" Sam asked, Greg not far from him.

Abby rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically, and then looked at them all mischievously. "Grab your brooms all, we're going to have some fun." The girls walked up their stairs, hearing Greg's next comment.

"Y'know, I'm starting to wonder if we should be afraid when she looks at us like that."

Abigail crept up behind Ewan, signaling for his friends to be quite as she clapped her hand on his shoulder, putting on her best impression of the Headmistress' voice. "Just what do you think you're doing, Mr. Smith?"

Ewan jumped, turning round with eyes wide in fear – until he saw the girl laughing hard in silence behind him. "Abby!"

She burst out laughing right in his face. "You should have seen your face! It was priceless, Ewan!"

"I'll get you back!"

"Bullocks!" Abby pulled Jamila forward, the boys coming up behind them. "This is Jamila, though I hear you two have already met?" Ewan half-glared at the insinuation in her voice, "and these two gents are Greg and Sam."

"Pleasure," Ewan extended his hand to the two boys, each looking at it in surprise before clasping it in their own. "That's Frank, Stefan and Paul," each boy nodded when their name was called.

Abby winked at the boys she had known from the summer, smiling with glee. "Do I get to beat you once more in a game of Quidditch, boys?"

"We let you win!" Stefan called out, looking put out because of the lie.

Nodding as if she agreed with them, she laughed again. "Shall we mix up the teams a bit?"

Ewan shook his head, "nah. We're going to show you who's the better House, Weasley! Trees down there are your goal; trees up the way are ours."

Abby scoffed, watching all the players get onto their brooms. "I'll let the balls out."

"Well, if you were that urgent, Weasley . . ." Frank implied with a smirk. Abby threw a just released Bludger into his stomach. "You do that every damn time," he sounded as if he were talking more to himself than to her as he flew out of her arm range.

"Let's get this game on!" Abby let loose the Snitch and shot up into the air quickly to hover just above her friends. She darted her eyes round, watching for even the faintest glimmer of gold, and watching Paul's movements as he went around looking as well.

Jamila took the Quaffle from Franks' hands as he stared in shock as shoved it through a small space between Stefans' body and the tree on his left, whooping as she made the goal.

"Nice one, Jamila!" Abby called from her soaring perch. From the sounds of the game twenty minutes later, it seemed like the goal Jamila had scored was one of three the Gryffindor "team" had made as apposed to the two Slytherin had scored. She was looking down at Gregs' head when she saw it, flittering just near his right foot, and she dove at it quickly, Paul letting out a noise as he dove after her. Abby stretched out her slender hand as she neared Greg, watching him quickly move as she came towards him.

"I'm getting it this time, Abby!" Paul yelled as he stretched his long arm further than her.

Determined, Abby took the chance to slide up her broom, now stretching both hands in front of her and sitting on the very edge of the broom and she felt the winged ball struggling in her enclosed hands just as she fell off. "Woo!" she cheered as she fell the twenty feet to the ground, and then grunting as she landed on her side.

"Abby!" the players from each team flew down to her, worry on the Gryffindors' faces. She lay on the ground for a moment, smiling when she felt the pain recede away.

Ewan laughed, "You could have spared them the gray hairs if you had just –"

"What is going on here?" The students looked behind them to see the slightly angered face of Draco Malfoy. "Well?"

Abby glanced up at Ewan, who scowled but spoke up. "We were just playing a round of Quidditch, Sir."

"You all know very well that there are to be no unsupervised Quidditch games – And the fall this girl took is exactly why!" Draco reprimanded with a scowl well practiced as Jamila was helping Abby up.

Abby laughed, "Professor, I'm fine. See?" she did a crazy little dance while turning about. "Nothing is broken, fractured, bruised or bleeding." Draco stared at the girl as if she had two heads. "You needn't worry about me, Professor; I can heal myself up right quick just as I did a moment after I landed."

"Pardon?"

"It's a little trick of mine. Now if you don't mind, as I'm sure you just might, we really would like to get into the Great Hall for some food."

Draco scowled, "ten points from Gryffindor, and detention tonight with me."

"Sir, yes, sir! Looking forward to a grand evening with you, Sir!" she mock saluted him and smiled widely before walking around him, her friends staring in surprise, and Draco wondering where he had heard that before.

Abby was already eating when the seven students came into the Great Hall, all of them making their way over to her and sitting at the Gryffindor table. "D'you have any idea who you were talking to?"

"Draco Malfoy, I believe," she replied calmly.

Ewan nodded emphatically, "exactly! You don't talk like that to Professor Malfoy! He gives Gryffs detention just for looking at him the wrong way sometimes. You don't mess with that man."

"Well it looks like I just did, doesn't it?" Abby countered daringly. "If he can't handle a little friendly game of Quidditch, then he really should pull that stick from his bum."

Greg pointed a fork at her, "how'd you _not_ break something back there, anyhow?"

She smiled slyly, "like I said: it's a little trick of mine."

"Wait." Jamila looked at her curiously. "You didn't happen to grow up at the Sites, did you?"

Now she smiled like she had gotten caught, "let me guess, you're parents were part of the Program?"

Slapping her hand on the table, causing a few dishes to rattle and a few people to stare. "I knew it! Your Ginny Weasleys' kid, aren't you?"

"The one and only," Abby nodded, laughing in irony. "I'm guessing that you know, then?"

Jamila nodded her head, "oh yeah. I know."

Everyone minus Ewan looked confused. Frank finally spoke up, his voice laced with annoyance. "Well the rest of us don't. So d'you mind letting us in?"

Abby shook her head with a secretive smile, "ask nicely."

"That was nice, Gryff," Frank responded with a challenging look.

She looked to Jamila who nodded slightly, and then to Ewan who shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't really care. "Well then, let us be off. I don't think some students could handle the shock." Abby led them out of the Great Hall, many of them wondering what shock couldn't be handled, as walked to the dim hallway off the main staircase.

"Well?"

"Patience, my good Stefan," Abby reprimanded as she stood in front of them. "You see, I have these – little gifts, you could call them – that allow me to do things without a wand. Like so," she held out her hand, calling for the muffin sitting in Sam's hand. "This," she Flashed out from in front of them and appeared behind them to their still sustained shock. "And the handy dandy one," she muttered something with her wand, causing a wound to open up and bleed freely on her arm, but just as quickly, she focused her thoughts and the wound was gone.

Jamila laughed at their shocked faces. "You've grown into your abilities since I left, Abby."

"Why do I have the feeling," a voice behind the group sneered, "that you eight are going to be very troubling this year."

Abby grinned as she turned about. "Wow, my second day here and I'm already getting a reputation! The boys will be so proud of me!"

Ewans' eyes widened and he quickly slapped his hand over Abby's mouth from behind her. "Don't mind her Professor Malfoy; she's a bit off in the head. Says things without thinking – Tourettes Syndrome, y'know."

Abby yanked his hand off her mouth. "I do not you great bloody prat! Don't make me take you to the Yukon again!"

"Pardon?" Draco lifted a fine eyebrow in question. The Yukon?

"Uh, nothing Professor. She's just joking about – nothing. We'll be off now, see you in Potions!" Ewan dragged Abby away by her arm with the six other students following closely behind. "Dammit, Abby! You have to watch what you're saying with Professor Malfoy, all right? You can't just be shooting off your mouth with him like you do everyone else."

"And why is that?" she bit out with a hint of anger in her voice.

Jamila placed a calming hand on both their arms. "Because he won't hesitate to make sure that you're in detention just about every free moment you have, Abby. And Ewan, she's a big girl; she can take care of herself. If she wants to get in trouble with him, then let her."

"Thank you, Jamila," Abby said smugly, smirking at Ewan. "Now, on to other business . . . PEEVES!"

The poltergeist made a whooshing noise, as he appeared smiling in front of them. "What can I do for you – Hey!" he glared at the book she had thrown through his head.

Abby folded her arms across her stomach. "That's what you get you git. I have it on good authority that you would have taken me to a fifty yard drop, I believe is what they said, when I was seven."

Peeves looked as if he wanted to die again when she spoke, "You're here!" then he floated through the walls, cackling madly.

"Okay, did anyone else think that was odd?" Abby pointed to the wall, her face screwed up in confusion.

Abby knocked on the door before hearing the command to enter. "How's it going, Sir?"

"You are not here for friendly chit-chat; you're here for detention."

Abby smiled broadly, standing in front of his desk. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Draco didn't glance up from the parchment he was writing on. "You're very odd."

"Thanks!"

Startled from his work, he stared at her before catching himself. "Your – Your detention will be to clean out the cauldrons from last year. They are in that back room there, please hand over your wand."

Abby shrugged, "I didn't bring it."

"Excuse me?"

She shrugged lightly once more, "I had a feeling that I wouldn't be using my wand tonight, so I left it up in the dormitory. Sorry to disappoint you?" she finished uncertainly.

Draco scowled, something about this girl struck him as very odd. She was going to be a strange handful this year, he could tell already. "Get to work."

"Yes, sir!" she walked to the storeroom, pausing only to ask where she might find her cleaning tools. She hummed her own little ditties as she worked in the next room, and bobbing her head, she pretended the cleaned cauldrons where her drums as she cleaned the one sitting in front of her out. "_They think I think I'm better but they don't know the demons out to get her and she breaks down, she breaks down_ –"

Draco finally stood up, walking to the closet, "child, would you cease your annoying noise. This is detention, not band practice." He turned back around, preparing to check the supplies in the student cupboard.

"It's Abigail," she said quietly. "My name's Abigail."

He froze his hand halfway towards the jar of Root of Asphodel. "Abigail?"

She walked from the storeroom, wiping her hands on the side of her jeans, "yeah. I'm done with the cauldrons, Sir."

"Abigail Weasley, I presume?"

Abby nodded her head, though he still had his back turned to her. "Yes, sir."

Draco turned around, his eyes briefly looking her over. "You resemble your mother very much."

Abby shrugged, "that's what everyone says. But mum says that I have the attitude of my father more and more everyday."

"Really?" his voice held the tone of nonchalance as he spoke.

She nodded, smiling a small smile of remembrance. "She said that he was very sarcastic when he was my age. And that he knew just how to get into the right amount of trouble at school without getting detentions. Apparently, I haven't mastered that skill as of yet, seeing as I'm in detention."

"So it would seem," he said slowly. "You're free to go, Abigail."

"See you tomorrow in class, Sir," she gave him a small wave goodbye as she left the room, grinning widely as she strolled down the hallways, knowing that she was going to be in trouble when her mother found out what she had just done.

Draco watched the door close behind the girl, the knowledge that Ginevra was back in the same country as him floating in his head that he forgot why he was even looking in the student cupboard.

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little Too Late_

Boomkats – _The Wreckoning_

Evanescence – _My Immortal_

Superchick – _One Girl Revolution_

Leslie Mills – _Good Life_

I've been having a bit of writers' block on life lately . . . Sorry folks. I'm just doing some revising and then I'll get the last chapters up.


	13. Beautiful Girl

**Take a Deeper Look**

Chapter Fourteen: _Beautiful Girl_

"Happy Christmas!" Abby smiled as she set the brown-papered gift in front of the man.

Draco looked at it, "what's this?"

"It's your present," she said simply.

He lifted it up, "Abigail, students are not to give Professors gifts."

"No," she said her smile still not faltering. "But students are supposed to give gifts to their _friends_, are they not?"

He smirked at the technicality she had come up with, untying the string bounding it up.

"I thought you might like it . . . You had the other one on your – Sir?"

Draco stared at the book title, "_Wandless Spells from Here and There: Volume Two._"

Abby pointed towards his bookshelf, "I saw that you had Volume One – I thought you might like – I can get you something else if you don't –"

Draco held up a hand to stop her, looking up at her. "Thank you. Now get back to your Common room and have fun with your friends."

"Bye, Sir!" she waved as she exited his classroom, Flashing herself into her bedroom and flopping down onto the bed. She had only been at the school for four months, and already she never wanted to leave.

She had opted to stay for the Christmas Holidays seeing as Jack wanted to squeeze in a few extra practices (he was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and she had made Seeker at tryouts, a position she rubbed in Ewans' face for his lack of faith when they had first met). Jack told her when she first tried out that she was right player, someone they could use on the team. They were well on their way to getting the Quidditch Cup once more for Gryffindor.

But what Abby liked most about school was her friendship, albeit many people thought it frightening, with the usually grumpy Potions Master. She was the only student he called by their first name, the rest were called by their surnames, with the exception of some select Slytherin students. And to her knowledge, he had never attempted in furthering the conversation they had had that third day of school with either her or her mother.

Abby cringed inwardly at the thought of her mother. She had not been happy when Abby wrote her, telling her what had been said in that conversation. Abby was only lucky that she had still been in her dormitory when the Howler came, sparing her the humiliation of having the entirety of school knowing what had happened.

"Abs! Ouch! Dammit!"

Abby walked out of her bedroom, looking at the stairs that had turned into a slide. Shrugging, she obliged and slid down them, standing up to see Greg glaring darkly at the stairs. "What's up?"

"Jamila sent me to get you. She says there has been an _incident_ at the Pitch."

She gave him a confused look. "Incident?"

Greg shrugged, "don't look at me. I'm just the messenger. I know nothing."

Abby grab hold of his arm, Flashing them down to the Pitch in a faster attempt to see what the incident was. "Jamila, what's going on?"

Jamila shook her head, rolling her eyes a bit as well, "Ewan here, the bloody brilliant boy he is, tried to do your Standing Nosedive trick."

Abby stepped around the Egyptian girl to see Ewan holding his robe sleeve to his nose. "Oh Ewan . . ."

He looked up at her, shrugging a bit, "I thought I could do it."

Abby let her hand hover over his nose, concentrating before taking it away. "You git. How about you don't try that again until I can show just how to balance yourself on the broom, alright?"

"Yeah. Deal." He looked up to see a slow, sly smile coming across Abbys' face. "What're you doing?"

Abby turned her features too innocent, "I'm not doing anything Ewan, what are you talking about?" she finished shaping the snow with her mind as she spoke.

"No! No – you are not getting me this –" the cold ball of snow hit him right on the forehead as he said, "time," and scowled at her. "I call no powers!"

Abby looked put out, "dammit! That's no fun! Now how are we going to beat you guys?"

Jamila chucked her own snowball at Ewans' head. "Run!"

"Running!" the girls laughed as they darted behind a boulder. Abby in charge of making the snowballs and she did just about as fast as Jamila with her excellent Chaser skills threw them. It wasn't long before Greg, Sam, Ewan and Stefan were out of the game. Jamilas' head was whiplashed back once before Abby stood up to hit Frank in the head the last time and ducked back down just as quickly.

Paul, all on his own, did not look happy as the girls stood with two snowballs apiece in their hands.

"I don't know why we even bothering going up against her," Ewan said as he looked at Abby.

"You mean, _them_, right?" Greg nudged the Slytherin, giving an innuendo with his words that cause Ewan to shove him right back.

"Sod off."

Abby chucked the last snowball that hit Paul in the back of his head and cheered, hugging Jamila who had cheered just as loudly. The girls, an arm over each other's shoulders made their way up to the defeated boys and they walked up the castle stairs. All of them were instantly warmed by the warming spell placed on the inside of the castle.

"You guys head on to the Great Hall. Jamila and I have a surprise you all of you!" Abby said cheerfully, a hint a mischief in her voice.

"Don't trust her! Surprises aren't always nice from that one," a woman said from the top of the staircase.

Abby turned around, running up the case as fast as she could and flinging her arms about the woman. "Mum! What're you doing here?"

Ginny laughed, "I'm here for an interview."

Abby pulled back, looking at her mother. "An interview? Really? What for?"

"Slow down before you have a coronary! But yes, I must be going or I'll be late. I'll see you at dinner, alright?"

Abby gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, motioning for Jamila to follow her as they ran down the corridor. "_Bien Maman. Voyez-vous au dîner. Aimez-vous!_"

"_Aimez-vous,_ Abby!" Ginny replied, her voice echoing a bit in the hall. "Hey there Ewan. How's it?"

Ewan grinned, "it's good, Ginny. I'll see you at dinner." He led the group away, translating as best he could what the two girls had said to each other in French. They had only been sitting for a little less then five minutes when Jamila pushed open the heavy Great Hall doors, causing them to bang loudly against the stonewall behind them.

"Sorry!" Jamila smiled sheepishly at the patrons of the Great Halls. "Hope no one had a heart attack!" she quickly sat down at the Gryffindor table with the rest of their group.

"Well? Where is our surprise?" Frank asked a bit impatiently.

Jamila pointed to the doorway once more. "There," and she ducked as Abby said something to a snowball laden Peeves who soon made his mark by hitting each of their friends once more.

"Abigail!"

The redheaded girl bit her lower lip, making her way to the Head table. "Yes, Headmistress?" she had an innocent inflection to her voice, a skill she had mastered to get out of trouble with her mother.

"Just what was that?" McGonagall pointed to the snow-faced children sitting at the Gryffindor table, watching them like they were hawks.

Abby put her hands up in an innocent gesture. "I was trying to stop Peeves, honestly! I was just joking when I told him he should throw snowballs at my friends. I honestly didn't think he was even listening to me, Headmistress!"

McGonagall pursed her thin lips together, and then shook her head with a sigh. "I'll pretend that I believe you this time, Abigail. But next time, it will be a detention!"

"Happy Christmas to you as well, Headmistress!" Abby said cheerfully as she ran back to her table, a giggle escaping from her lips. "I do believe that I'm getting better at escaping detentions."

"I must say that I agree, Abigail," Draco said covertly as he walked past them. The group of seventh years stared at his back before Jamila and Abby got another round of laughter in their bellies.

Greg looked over to Abby, "so that was your mum?"

"Yep! She said she was here for an interview. Don't know what for though . . . I can't think of any open positions."

Sam, food in his mouth as usual, looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think Pince was saying something about needing an Assistant, I think."

Abby laughed outright. "My mum, a librarian? That would be bloody hilarious!" she stopped laughing when a thought occurred to her. "That would be bloody brilliant! I'll see you all later!"

"Wha –?" they all stared as she ran out of the Great Hall.

"She's insane, isn't she?" Sam asked, and was answered by all of them saying "yes!"

Abby paced out in front of the library, wondering if her mother was truly inside the doors. She knew she had been waiting well over thirty minutes when her mother finally came out from the book housing room.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny questioned her daughter when she saw her. "How long have you been out here?"

Abby waved off the questions. "Did you get it?"

"Get what?"

"The job!"

Ginny nodded, "why?"

Abby hugged her mother, crying out in triumph. "See you later mum!"

Ginny stopped her daughter, giving her confused, yet stern, look. "Abigail Weasley, just what are you on about?"

Abby gave her mother an eye roll. "Think about it Mum. Who else works here?"

Ginny held the look of confusion for only a few moments before turning back to the door. "I have to go tell Pince I can't take the job . . ."

Abby grabbed her mother, turning her about. "No! You are going to keep this job because we have bills that must be paid, all right? It won't be that bad, Mum!" and she had run off before Ginny could say anything otherwise, causing the elder to shake her head and head off for the Headmistress' office.

When supper came, Abby watched her mother enter through the door to the left of the Head table with McGonagall, holding her breath as the old woman placed her mother right next to Draco. She took in the look of utter surprise on his face when Ginny had taken her seat.

"Breathe, Abs, breathe," Ewan shook her shoulder, then looked to where she had fixed her eyes and sucked in breath himself. "Okay. Don't breathe."

"D'you think they'll get along?" Abby said quietly to Ewan, her eyes darting from the two adults to the boy sitting next to her.

Ewan slung an arm about her shoulders. "Don't worry, they will."

"She succeeded in becoming more like her father earlier today," Draco started the conversation, not at all liking the tension in the air between them.

Ginny choked on her food. "Par – Pardon me?"

Draco nodded, watching the girl who had made such an impact on the entire school. He never thought he'd see the day when Houses intermixed, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin so much until the girl had stepped into the school. "She was telling me that her father had a knack for getting out of detention while he was in school. She escaped a detention earlier today when she had Peeves throw snowballs at her friends by claiming that she had been trying to stop him. Quite like her father, I assume."

"Yeah, I, uh, I guess she did."

"So how is he, anyway?"

"Who?"

"Potter."

Ginny shrugged, "he's fine I suppose. Why would I know?"

Draco looked at her, "well he is her father, is he not?"

Ginny's eyes went wide, her laugh echoing throughout the Hall before she covered her mouth and blushed as red as her hair in embarrassment. "Harry isn't her father! What on earth gave you that idea?"

Draco scowled. "He's the only one in school that could ever get out of detentions. And not to mention you had that terribly horrendous crush on him all your years here."

Ginny sobered up quickly, glaring slightly at him. "Now you know that isn't true, Draco Malfoy. You know for a fact that my crush ended on him in fourth year! And you know that it was just a silly little schoolgirl crush!"

"What are you doing here anyway, Ginevra?"

Ginny turned back to her food. "If you must know, and I'm sure you do because you are you, I was just hired for the Assistant Librarian job."

This time Draco choked on his food. "That's –"

"The perfect job for a Weasley?" Ginny said before she could catch her tongue. She cringed a bit, "you'd think that I'd be able to control that after all these years."

"Yes, one _would_ think," he stood up, wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin that had sat in his lap before placing it on his plate. "Good night, Ginevra."

Abby watched as he walked out the doors her mother had entered, and the defeated look that had taken over her mothers face.

She let the door to the potions classroom hit the wall behind it, and then slap shut once more as she entered the room.

"Can I help you, Abigail?"

"I want you to go talk with her," Abby said simply, seating herself on the nearest desktop.

"Excuse me?" Draco looked up from his work briefly to take in her angry face.

"I want you to go talk with her," she stated once more, giving him a terrible look.

Draco ignored her look. "Talk with whom, Abigail?"

Abby stood up from the desk. "You know exactly who I'm talking about: my mother. You're only depressing her more by ignoring her like you have been for the past three months. Honestly, you really are going out of your way to not see her! Avoiding her in the corridors, then not going to meals if she is there. How are you still alive with as little as you grace the Great Hall?"

He scowled up at her, "you're well on your way to getting a detention, Abigail."

"Good! At least then I'll have the time to tell you how much of a git you're being to my mum!" she bit her lower lip as soon as she said the words.

Draco gave her a stern look. "You _will_ watch your tone."

Abby slapped her palms down on his desk in a last attempt to make him pay full attention to her. "Are you that proud that you can't even go talk to her? She is miserable because of you! Did you know that a couple years after she was in Cairo that she asked the Scholars to allow her to write you a letter so that she could know you were safe? Did you know that they refused to let her, and she spent the next week asking them to reconsider only to have them tell her that she was not to make any form of contact with you until out of the Program?"

Dracos' stern look melted into the one of disbelief.

"I didn't think you did. Just go talk to her! I'm tired of having to hear her questions on why you won't speak with her or acknowledge her presence in this school! I'm tired of the both of you!"

"Both of us?"

She threw up her arms in exasperation. "Yes, both of you! She sits around wondering why you won't come and talk to her. And you sit around wondering why she won't come and be the bigger person and come talk to you!"

"Abigail, you had better get out of this room before I decide that you really do need a week of detention to straighten your attitude out," Draco threatened, though his thoughts on other things already.

Abby walked to the door, opening it again. "Fine. But if she and I chat tonight and she is still upset, I'm letting my wrath out on you with my powers," and she had closed the door and Flashed up to her bedroom before he could question what she meant by powers.

Ginny held the small stack of books in one arm as she placed them back into their proper places with the other as she stood atop the tall ladder. "_Magical Maladies and How to Cure Them . . . Magicians That Lie . . . Nameless Faces_ – Now how'd you get in this pile?" she looked around for the Na's, seeing them in the bookshelf behind her, and she carefully set the M books on top of the others, before looking down the ladder and deciding that she could just reach over and put it back where it belonged. She stretched out as far as her arms would let her, holding onto the top of the ladder with her fingertips, almost there. But it was then that the ladder sprang up from the bookshelf it was leaning on, standing her straight up.

The book thudding to the floor, Ginny gripped the top rung with her hands, trying to balance herself as the ladder swayed about. "Help . . ." she said quietly as the ladder turned ninety degrees, swaying once again. Ginny leaned forward, trying to get balance so she might try to turn it back to the bookshelf, but the ladder had other ideas as it swayed violently for the last time.

"OHEIUGM! AHHHHH!" her screamed echoed about the library as she fell backwards, the ladder pitching forward from lack of balance. She fully expected to meet blackness when she hit the floor from her twelve-foot drop, but never expected to hear a voice before she hit.

"Well, I knew you fell for me, Ginevra, but this is a bit literal, don't you think?" Draco tried not to smile as he spoke.

Ginny opened her eyes, looking up at him. "Draco!" she then registered what he had said and smacked him in the chest. "How dare you joke about things like that!" she scrambled out of his arms backing away from him with her arms folded across her midsection, a sign that she wasn't happy with him.

"Is that all the thanks I get for helping you?" he replied.

Ginny glared, "I didn't need any help, Draco."

"Fine! Next time I'll just let you drop twelve feet to the floor!" Draco smiled just a bit at her angry face before getting to the point. "Is what she told me true?"

"Is what who told you true?" Ginny asked, fully confused at what he was getting at.

"Abigail said that two years into your Program, you tried to write me a letter but the Scholars – I think that's what she called them – wouldn't allow you to. They refused to let you have any contact with me until you were out of the Program."

Ginny scowled, "that girl is in so much trouble!"

"So it's true then?"

She looked everywhere but him, "yes, Draco, it's true."

"Why?"

Ginny glanced up at his face, "why? I wanted to know if you were okay! I wanted to know if you were still alive and well. And –" she cut off her sentence, looking away from him once more.

Draco didn't let the sentence go unfinished however. "And what? That wasn't the only reason you wanted to write me, was it?"

Ginny shook her head, sighing heavily. "Abby wanted to meet you. She was just two, but she still wanted to meet you."

He looked thoroughly confused. "Why would Abigail want to meet me?"

Ginny gave him a look, "that's between you and Abigail, Draco. Not you and me," and she was gone before he could question her.

Draco smacked his hand against the nearest bookshelf. What _was_ it with those two and saying things like that right before they disappear? And what was with that look she had given him just before – realization flooded into Draco's thoughts. "No . . ."

"Abby, there's an owl for you!" Greg called up the stairs this time, remembering what had happened the last time he tried to go up to the girls' dormitory.

Sighing, Abby walked out of her room and down the stairs, taking the parchment from Greg. "Who's it from?"

He shrugged before going back to the windowsill bench where he was playing a game of Wizards' Chess with Jamila (and loosing terribly).

Abby slid her thumb under the wax seal, reading the short letter quickly before crumpling it up and storming out of the Common Room muttering something her friends thought sounded like "why do I even bother?" She made her way slowly down to the dungeons once more, not bothering with a knock as she entered the Potions classroom. "Yeah?"

Draco raised an eyebrow at her tone. "As I'm sure you know, since you have a knack for knowing these things, I went to see your mother."

"Well?" she sat down on the nearest desktop once again.

He leaned back in his chair. "She said that the reason behind wanting to write me was that you wanted to meet me. She didn't tell me why, but gave me a very odd look and said that it was between the two of us."

"And let me guess, I'm going to be in trouble for telling you anything in the first place?"

Draco smiled a bit, "you guessed right. She's a bit put out."

"She'll get over it," Abby said dismissively. "Now what were you saying? Oh right, between the two of us. What is it that you wanted to know?"

Draco looked at her; "I wanted to know why you were so inclined to meet me at the tender age of two."

Abby rolled her eyes, now understanding what her mother meant when she compared her sarcasm with the mans' in front of her. "Why d'you think I wanted to meet you?"

Draco hid his shock well; glad for the many years of practice he had had in his early years.

"I know you get it. I know you know what my mum said to you that day you came to Uncle Rons' wedding. I know you know that she isn't the kind of woman to sleep with a man unless she loves him. And I know that you know she wouldn't have had the time for a man while in Cairo is she was busy taking care of me and doing her job."

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off quickly.

"And I wouldn't doubt now that you understand that Uncle Harry isn't my father, by the way, that's disgusting to think about. And that you've deduced that you were the only other person in this school that could get out of detentions the way I told you about," Abby kept a passive face as she took a piece of folded paper out of her back pocket and tossed it in front of him.

"Mum let me have this so that I could say that you were with me every special moment of my life – even though it would just be a technicality."

Draco unfolded the paper to see the picture from atop the Astronomy Tower that had started all that was happening today. The night that he had started to realize just who he was and who he wanted to be.

"She said that it was the only way I could have my father around for all my important events." Abby Flashed out of his classroom before he could even think of anything to say to her.

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little Too Late_

Boomkats – _The Wreckoning_

Evanescence – _My Immortal_

Superchick – _One Girl Revolution_

Leslie Mills – _Good Life_

Last Week – _Beautiful Girl_

Translations:

"_Bien Maman. Voyez-vous au dîner. Aimez-vous!_" – "Alright Mum. See you at dinner. Love you!"


	14. The Best of Me

**Take A Deeper Look**

Chapter Fifteen: _The Best of Me_

Draco stared at the spot his apparent daughter had been standing in. What the hell did she just do? She was too young still to Apparate, not that you could inside the school, so what was that little flashy trick she had just done? He stood up quickly, pocketing the photograph, and made a decision that he would go talk to the elder first.

"Yes, what – Draco?" Ginny stared out her portrait at him, wondering why he looked so strange. "Are you okay?"

Draco stood in the portrait-way; "might I come in?" he stepped inside once she moved out of his way, beckoning him to enter. "I was just visited by Abigail."

Ginny sat down on her couch, folding her legs under her. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

He pulled the photograph out, handing it over to her. "She tossed this on my desk about the same time she was yelling at me for not being there, or at least I'm sure that is what she wanted to say, but she had more elusive ways of speaking."

Ginny let her eyes graze over the photo, smiling a bit as the Draco in the picture smiled up at her. She lifted her eyes back to the real Dracos' waiting for him to continue.

"I always thought I had the connection with her. That I did because she was your daughter, and therefore she was a lot like you," Draco kept a quiet voice as he spoke. "Why did you never tell me?"

She turned away from him enough to hide her face as she placed the photo on her coffee table. "I tried once, ten years ago. But you refused to let me speak. You Apparated out of the Burrow faster than I thought possible."

Dracos' eyebrows furrowed in confusion before the memory flowed back into his mind. "I suppose I didn't."

"Suppose? You didn't, Draco, that's the fact of the matter!" she calmed herself, looking to him once more. "What do you really want, Draco?"

"You," he replied simply, watching as her cheeks turned red. "And the truth. The entire story."

Ginny turned her face away from his, trying to hide the redness of her cheeks, but knowing he had already seen them. "It's a long story . . ."

"I've got time."

She looked up at him; taking in the serious face he was showing her, and the pleading look hiding in his gray eyes. "Alright, then," she slid her legs out from underneath her, watching as Draco sat down next to her on the couch. "Where would you like me to start?"

"How about you start from the beginning, that being when you left from Hogsmeade, and end right here," Draco said as he looked at her.

Ginny took in a deep breath, letting it out noiselessly and slowly. "When I left Hogsmeade, I flew south to where the Scholars had set up a Port Key for me. I could barely see through my tears, but I found the Key anyway.

"When I got there, I was told by the Scholars – they were a group of seven people who, all who had started the Program, that anything to hinder my work would put me on paid leave from digs, but I'd still be doing deskwork. I thought they were just telling me that, I thought they told everybody that, but I found out not too long after that I was pregnant, and that the woman who had told me about that rule had known. I thought that they were going to toss me out of the program for it, and from what I heard later on from my friend Thomas, it was a four to three vote to boot me.

"But then I took a bad fall in my fifth month – about the same time they were going to tell me to leave – into one of the pits; I was in pretty bad condition. The excavators did all they could to stop the blood, but there was just so much of it. They were calling for a Medi-wizard when she did it. Abigail closed my wound from inside the womb – at least that was the only explanation everyone could come up with. They say that I was engulfed in a light just as the Medi-Wizard got there, and when he went to check me, there was no long the large gash in my side.

"After that, the Scholars watched me like a hawk. They all wanted to know how I had been healed to such an extent that I don't even have a scar. And with so much blood – they thought that even if the wound had been closed, I would have died because I lacked so much. So they kept me around, wanting to know if what they thought was true." Ginny looked up at him to see if he still wanted to hear the story, and seeing that he did, she continued.

She thought back, her face contorting into a strange look. "I remember that when she was maybe five or six months old, she had been making noises for me to hand her a toy, but I couldn't because my hands were full with papers. Then the oddest thing happened, or at least it was at the time, the toy dematerialized from its spot and appeared in her hand. She had called for it without saying a word . . .

"That was what the Scholars seemed to have been waiting for, because they were all ecstatic to hear about the strange ability. Soon, they became her babysitters when I had to work; they loved her, and loved to see what she would do next even more.

"When she was two, that was when I first told her about you. She was wondering where her father was all the time then, because her playmates all had fathers around them. I gave her that photo of you, telling her the condensed version of our history together. That was when she decided quite firmly, for a two year old, that she just had to meet you. She wanted a father to play with her like her friends had. So I went to the Scholars.

"I told them that I wanted to write you a letter – since Fudge didn't support the program, they controlled all things leaving and entering the Programs' area – but they told me that they couldn't risk it. You were too high profile a person to be sending a trivial letter to. I came back the next day, pleading with them again to let me send you a letter, this time because Abby wanted to meet you. Everyday that week I went to them and everyday they told me no. Until the last day . . . That was the day that they told me I was never to contact you in any way until I was out of their Program.

"I hated that I couldn't contact you. One being that I didn't know if you were okay or not, and two being that Abby was growing and advancing in her powers and you had no idea about it. When she was seven, I finally was allowed to take a vacation of sorts from the Program – for Rons' wedding.

"We went to Lohelm and Dumbledore to see if either of them knew what she was doing, and how she did it. Neither of them knew. And then I saw you here, and you were so angry with me because of Abigail. I wanted to tell you right then and there the entire story, but I just couldn't get past that look of pain and hatred in your eyes, so I didn't say anything other than confirming she was mine.

"I was trying to tell you the truth when you came to the Burrow the next night, but you refused to let me say anything besides what you had already come up with in that thick, stubborn skull of yours. Abby came up just after you left, and told me that I didn't have to cry because her daddy hated her, because she still loved him," Ginny stopped, sighing.

"She thought you hated her, Draco. Do you know how hard that was for me to take? She was seven years old! I remember just staring at her in shock when she said that she knew you hated her. Somehow she had gotten it in her head that the reason you never came to see us was that you didn't want to see _her._ I spent the entire night telling her that you didn't hate her, that you were just mad at me.

"We went home the day after that, and she went back to being her normal cheerful self – but that was when I noticed she carried your picture everywhere with her. I asked her why she did, and she just told me that it was so you could be with her when she was playing. I told her that was a good idea, and said that she'd always have you around for important moments in her life if she kept it with her." Ginny laughed slightly, "I ended up having to place a charm on it to make sure that it would get ruined because she had it with her so much."

Ginny brought her leg up and rested her arm upon it. "She only asked about you maybe twice a year after Ron and Hermiones' wedding. It was always on Christmas and her birthday. She eventually figured out that the presents that supposedly came from her father were really just gifts I had picked up and said you had sent to her.

"I tried to tell her time and time again why you couldn't be there, but she gave up wanting to know. Every year, though, she always asked if she could go to Hogwarts for school. I think it was so that she could be close to you – and I'm pretty sure that was the only reason she wanted to go here. Eventually I gave in, on her sixteenth birthday, seeing as the Program had finally lost all of it's funding, and there was nothing more that we could do there.

"I bought a house with the money I had earned from working in Egypt next door to my friend Joan – I didn't even know she lived there until Ewan just about killed Abby when she was flying. That girl is insane on a broom – I can't watch her when she flies. I'm sure you saw that lovely little Standing Nosedive trick she's finally gotten. She gets it from you, I was never crazy on a broomstick," Ginny pointed at him accusingly. "I swear she is so lucky she gained the ability to Flash. That's what we named it anyway. It allows her to be in once place at one point, and another the second later. It's so annoying when I'm trying to send her to her room."

She shrugged, "I told her that she could this year, and you pretty much know how that has gone. She wrote me a letter to tell me what she had said to you on the third day of school and I sent her a Howler, I was so mad. But I ended up telling her that I was sorry about it, that I just hadn't wanted her to say anything. I got a Howler myself back from her saying that whatever she had said, you probably wouldn't have understood anyway."

Draco just watched her as she told the story, condensing it quite a bit he could tell. "She thought I hated her?"

Ginny nodded, "I finally convinced her that you didn't hate her, don't worry. But she wasn't asking for stories about you after that. I tore me apart that she didn't want to know anything more about her father, about the things he was doing for everyone. I just had to deal with it, and I did. I stopped mentioning you to her."

"Is that why she caused that trouble the second day of school? So that I would give her a detention?"

She shrugged, "probably. Did she act odd to a fault and pretend she was in a band?"

Draco gave her a look that clearly said _How'd you know that?_

Ginny laughed, "it's what she does to test peoples limits. She always does something to make sure that she knows just how much a person can take before really getting to know them."

The blonde haired man shifted in his seat. "She came to talk to me all the time throughout the school year. Even when I told her to leave, she just stuck around, chatting away. I take it that's another one of her little quirks? Being as annoying as you were."

Ginny stuck out her tongue childishly at him. "She gets it from you too, y'know. No one but you can get on my nerves like her."

"Glad to be of service," Draco mocked bowing to her, causing a smile to spread across her face. "If I had known –"

Ginny held up her hand, "I know, Draco. I know. But how could you have? You didn't know where I was. And going to my family to find out wouldn't have worked well either – they would have killed you for even asking and they didn't know either."

Draco stood up from the couch, "I think I should go find –"

"No."

"Pardon?"

Ginny stood in front of his path, hands on her hips defiantly. "If there is one thing I'm tired of being, it's patient."

Draco smiled a bit as he looked down at the redhead. "Then what are you going to do about it? Patient is a virtue, y'know."

She shook her head, "nah. It's a burden most of the time. Now you just going to stand there and let me hug you because I deserve it with the way you've been skillfully avoiding me these past few months." Draco did as he was told, letting the short woman wrap her arms around him, he reciprocating the action happily.

Ginny lifted her head off his chest, "I'm glad your not avoiding me anymore."

"Well, we seem to have created a very forceful child," Draco said, liking the way it sounded that he had made a child with her. "Want another?" he gave him a cheeky smile as he spoke, earning himself a smack in the arm.

"Draco Malfoy! That is no way to talk to a lady!" she smiled, laughing as she scolded him. "I can't believe you said something –" she cut herself off, wondering what that look in his eyes meant. She was just about to question him when he leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. Ginny opened her eyes slowly, not even realizing that she had closed them and looked up at his faintly smiling face. "That's the best you've got? After seventeen years that's all –"

Draco pressed his lips on hers once more, smiling a bit when her head her intake of breath. They were slightly breathless when he finally severed the kiss. "I'm never letting you go anywhere again."

"You're going to have to let me go again, Draco," Ginny said in a sad voice.

"Why?"

She grinned, "because I have to pee."

Draco laughed outright, kicking her lightly on her rear as she made her way to the loo.

Abby opened the next present, smiling broadly at her friends. "I'm not going to have some strange creature jump out at me, am I?"

Ewan shook his head, "that's mine, I didn't do that this time. Don't you worry."

Abby winked at him, opening the present quickly. "Nice one, Ewan!" she pulled out the mini replica of the Quidditch Cup.

"That's just to keep you happy, y'know, since you're going to loose the match and everything."

Abby threw up her fists in defiance. "Bullocks! Gryffindor is way better than Slytherin this year! Remember, I am the UBER FREAK and I shall prevail!"

Ginny laughed at her daughter, "okay Uber Freak, this one is from Draco. And this time, I didn't pick it out to give to you."

She smiled at her mum, "about damn time," watching her mother give her a mock stern look. Abby took the lid off the box; digging threw thin strips of paper until she reached the bottom. She looked up at her mother curiously, who just urged her to keep going. Abby grabbed the sheets of paper lying at the bottom of the box, reading them over once she could see them.

Ginny looked to Draco briefly before the both of them were tackled by Abby, who was laughing happily. "Are you serious!"

"Yes, Abby, we're serious," Ginny said as she laughed. "Get off, I can't breathe!"

Abby pushed herself off them, looking at the papers once more. "This is the best present I've ever gotten from you," she looked at Draco, giving him a teasing look. "Bloody hell! I can call you dad legally now! Oh god Mum – Uncle Ron and them are going to want to kill him for – well y'know!"

Ginny laughed as her daughter hugged them again, the papers dropping to the floor. The seven confused students looked down at them, then all smiled when they read _Marriage License_ at the top of each sheet.

Delirious – _Deeper_

Norah Jones – _Don't Know Why_

Avril Lavigne – _Anything But Ordinary_

Jimmy Eat World – _Sweetness_

Switchfoot – _Dare You to Move_

Avril Lavigne – _Falling Down_

Evanescence – _Taking Over Me_

Vitamin C – _Graduation_

Hoobastank –_ Too Little Too Late_

Boomkats – _The Wreckoning_

Evanescence – _My Immortal_

Superchick – _One Girl Revolution_

Leslie Mills – _Good Life_

Last Week – _Beautiful Girl_

The Starting Line – _The Best of Me_

Not the best ending ever when I first wrote it, but it has grown on me. Sorry that it took so damned long for me to finish this! A lot has happened in the past year that has deterred me from my writing. Hope you enjoy this!

Love,

Leap of Faith


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